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A STORY of EARLY TOLEDO 



Historical Facts and Incidents of the Early Days 
of the City and Environs. 



By JOHN H. DOYLE 



C. S. VAN TASSEL. Managingr Publisher 
Home Office, Bowliae Green, Ohio 



Copyright 1919 

By 
John H. Doyle 



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iCI.A5'^562 7 



PUBLISHER'S INTRODUCTION 

Within the following pages Judge Doyle has un- 
questionably given the public one of the most val- 
uable collections of historical facts and incidents 
ever compiled on Toledo and its environ-y. It is 
not the quantity but quality of the material that 
counts. Indeed, it would have been much easier 
to expand this document to three times its size in 
words, than to have put the same in the condensed 
form he has; for he has given a prodigious lot of in- 
formation in a small package. A hearty reception 
is sure to be given the work and the publisher only 
adds that he finally prevailed upon the Judge to 
allow a biographical sketch of himself to accompany 
the volume as a most fitting testimonial. 



BIOGRAPHY 

John Hardy Doyle, of Toledo, Lawyer and former Judge 
of the Coui-t of Common Pleas and of the Supreme Court of 
Ohio, was born in Monday Creek Township, Perry County, 
Ohio, on the 23rd of April, 1844. Through both of his par- 
ents Judge Doyle is of Irish descent. 

His father moved in early manhood to Providence, now 
part of Lucas County, and while residing there married. In 
1843 the family moved to Perry County, where Judge Doyle 
was born, and in 1848 moved back to Toledo. The father 
died here in 1852 and the mother in 1894. 

John H. Doyle received his genera 1 education in the 
Toledo public schools and at Dennison University in Gran- 
ville, Ohio. During the winter of 1862-63 he discontinued 
his studies with a view to entering the military service of 
the United States as second lieutenant of Company A, 
Sixty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, his appointment 
being conditioned upon his securing twenty recruits for the 
service ; but before completing his task he was stricken with 
typhoid fever and was consequently obliged to forego his 
ambition for a military career. He then studied law under 
the preceptorship of Edward Bissell, a notable member of 
the Toledo bar. Being admitted to practice on his twenty- 
first birthday, he accepted a partnership offer from Mr. 
Bissell and became a member of the law firm of Bissell and 
Gorrill, and the abstracting firm of Bissell, Gleason & Com- 
pany. He soon made his mark in his profession and achieved 
a reputation as one of its rising men in northwestern Ohio. 
Among the famous cases he conducted is the River 
Tract 6 case, mentioned at the close of the history, where he 
successfully defended the title of the residents on the tract, 
and the now celebrated case of Comptore vs. The Wabash 
Railroad Co., where, after 30 years of litigation, his client 
collected over $900,000 on bonds not secured by mortgage. 

In 1879, when thirty-five years old, he received the 
unanimous endorsement of the Republican members of the 



Lucas county bar for the office of judge of the Court of 
Common Pleas of the Sixth Judicial District. He was nom- 
inated unanimously by ithe judicial convention, was elected 
by a large majority, and, assuming the position, discharged 
its duties with distinguished ability as long as he continued 
in it. At the Republican state convention of 1882 he re- 
ceived the nomination for judge of the Ohio Supreme Court, 
but his candidacy chanced in a Democratic year and he was 
defeated with the rest of the party ticket. In the same 
year, however, a vacancy occurred on the supreme bench, 
and Judge Doyle was appointed for the unexpired term by 
Governor Foster. He was again nominated by his party 
for the same office and again suffered defeat on account of 
continued Democratic ascendancy in the state. 

Retiring from the Supreme Court upon the expiration 
of his term, on February 9, 1884, he returned to the practice 
of law in Toledo, as senior member of the firm of Doyle & 
Scott, in which his associate was Alexander W. Scott. In 
1885 Charles T. Lewis was admitted to partnership, and 
from that time the firm name was Doyle, Scott & Lewis, 
until Mr. Scott's death in 1895, when it was changed to 
Doyle & Lewis, the present style. Since concluding his 
service as supreme judge, he has adhered without interrup- 
tion or distraction to his profession, uniformly refusing both 
nominations and appointments to office. The position of 
judge of the United State District Court for the northern 
district of Ohio was twice offered him — by Presidents Mc- 
Kinley and Taft, — but in each instance the honor was de- 
clined. At the age of over seventy Judge Doyle is pursuing 
his profession with unabated vigor, in the enjoyment of a 
very extensive and valuable practice and with a reputation as 
one of the ablest, most accomplished, and most successful 
members of the bar of Ohio. 

His especial characteristics are industry, rapidity as a 
worker, and great promptitude in mastering the essentials 
of a case. In his early experience as a lawyer he accustomed 
himself to quick analysis and the collocation and citation of 
the really pertinent authorities with as little waste of time 
as possible upon irrevelant or minor aspects and materials. 
He thus acquired the habit of proceeding almost immedi- 



ately with the preparation of his cases, to the exclusion of 
preliminaries generally, or at least their reduction to a 
minimum ; and at the present day it is questionable whether 
there is another lawyer at the Ohio bar who is his equal in 
respect of ease and alacrity of preparation. As a judge he 
displayed very similar traits. "Judge Doyle," says Harvey 
Scribner ("Memoirs of Lucas County and the City of 
Toledo," Volume I, page 405), "was an ideal common pleas 
judge; he followed and comprehended the bearings and com- 
petency of evidence at all stages of the trial. His rulings 
were prompt and almost always correct." It was his uni- 
form practice to prepare for his own information very thor- 
ough briefs of the law and authorities governing cases as 
they developed before him; and the singular advantage of 
such a policy and method to the interests of the righteous 
and correct administration of the law can very readily be 
understood. His elevation to the supreme bench by guber- 
natorial appointment was in recognition entirely of his high 
judicial qualifications, and his service under that appoint- 
ment was able and creditable to an eminent degree. 

For nearly seventy years a resident of Toledo, Judge 
Doyle is an authority — perhaps the foremost authority now 
living — on the early history of that community and north- 
western Ohio generally. He has written and privately pub- 
lished various monographs and papers of local historical 
interest. Throughout life he has been a student of history 
in its broadest aspects, and has itaken especial interest and 
satisfaction in reflections upon many subjects and questions. 
He is the author of some forty monographs and papers of 
more or less formality on miscellaneous topics — historical, 
literary, legal, etc., — which have been given to the public 
as voluntary and entirely unrecompensed lectures on special 
occasions. He has devoted a portion of his time to the in- 
struction of students in St. John's Law School on the sub- 
ject of constitutional law. 

In politics he has been a consistent Republican from early 
life, and at various times has participated somewhat actively 
in campaigns as a speaker. But he has never accepted a 
nomination for office except as judge. 

He is a member of the Toledo Club, Toledo Commerce 



Club, Toledo Country Club, Toledo Yacht Club, Toledo Trans- 
portation Club, Lawyers' Club of New York, Ohio Society 
of New York, Union Club of Cleveland, and Columbus Club 
of Columbus, He has served at various times as president 
of the Toledo, Ohio, State, and National bar associations. 

On October 6, 1868, he married Alice Fuller Skinner, 
a descendant of Governor Roger Wolcott, of Connecticut, 
and Oliver Wolcott, signer of the Declaration of Independ- 
ence. Mrs. Doyle is a member of the Daughters of the 
American Revolution, the Colonial Dames, and the Daugh- 
ters of Colonial Governors. To Judge and Mrs. Doyle three 
children were born: Mrs. Elizabeth D. Scott, who has a 
daughter, Grace Isabel Scott ; Mrs. Grace D. Graves, wife of 
Charles L. Graves, whose children are John Graves, Angeline 
Graves, and Charles Graves; and Helen Genevieve, now 
deceased, who married Judge John S. Pratt, and is survived 
by one child, Alice Pratt. 

During the present war on Europe Judge Doyle has 
prepared and delivered a series of war lectures, under the 
titles : "Some Things We Ought to Know," "The Legal and 
Moral Relations of the United States to the Present War," 
"The League of Nations and the Freedom of the Seas," some 
of which are printed. They have received the most flatter- 
ing comments and notices and have been characterized as 
among the ablest papers on the subjects. 

THE PUBLISHER. 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

Some time ago, the Toledo Chamber of Com- 
merce, by its trustees, requested the writer to pre- 
pare a narrative of some of the important events in 
the early history of Toledo and vicinity, for the 
purpose of having a record for future use, of inci- 
dents that depended on the memory of those now- 
living, or on records that might be lost, if not thus 
preserved. What follows is the writer's compliance 
with this request. It is not intended to include in 
this narrative any part of the history which is not 
fairly included in the phrase, 'The early history of 
Toledo." 

It will not be possible to give specific credit to 
the publications, documents or records which I have 
examined, and to some extent appropriated. I have 
used every material that was useful, and the recitals 
of facts not of record and from memory, I have 
taken great pains to have accurate. That the his- 
tory is incomplete is apparent. That it supplements 
any previous written record is also apparent. 

A condensed narrative of some of the principal 
events in the history of that part of the Maumee 
Valley, adjacent to and including Toledo, is all that 
is claimed. I claim no originaHty of thought or re- 
search. I am merely a compiler and not a historian, 
having put together in a single paper facts related 
by others in many papers. 

Many of the facts related are of older date than 
the birth of any persons now living. They are re- 
corded in many records, documents, narratives and 
archives accessible to any one having the patience 



to search for them. To a moderate extent I have 
done this out of personal interest in the subject. 

I am not going back to the prehistoric man, the 
glacial period or the mound builders, nor quite as 
far back as the discovery of America, or the landing 
of the Pilgrim Fathers. 



CHAPTER I 
Early History of the Valley 

Between the settlements of the Dutch and Eng- 
lish, up the Hudson river, and later into interior New 
York and the territory now occupied by Ohio, was 
the Iroquois confederacy, and the Iroquois claimed 
to control Ohio as their hunting grounds. 

Some early French maps show the lake region 
to be inhabited by the Iroquois to the east, the Eries 
in the central part, and the Miamis to the west, in- 
cluding this valley, with the Shawnees immediately 
south, but as late as 1744 a French geographer fur- 
nished a map for "Charlevoix's New France," a work 
published that year, with words printed along the 
shore of the lake, which translated read, "All this 
shore is nearly unknown." 

The word "Miami" as it is now pronounced was 
in the Indian "Mee-ah-Mee" and very early in the 
known historical period these Miamis were found 
here by the Wyandottes of Montreal, with evidences 
that they had occupied the valley for a long time. 

Some of the same people or nation were found 
on the banks of two rivers emptying into the Ohio, 
and to distinguish them, this was called the Miami 
of Lake Erie, and the others the Big and Little Mi- 
ami of the Ohio. Our word Maumee is simply a 
corruption of the word Miami. 

So far as we have any authentic knowledge of 
the subject, the earliest white settlers of Ohio were 
parties sent out about 1680 by Count de Frontenac, 
the French governor of Canada, for the purpose of 



12 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

erecting posts or stores for occupancy and trade. 
One of these parties built a stockade a short distance 
this side of what is now Maumee, which was main- 
tained as a trading post for many years, until it was 
moved to the head of the river, where Fort Wayne 
now is. This stockade is supposed to have been 
located about where the British in 1794 built the 
strong fortification known as Fort Miami. 



MISSIONARIES APPEAR. — Jesuit mission- 
aries appeared in the lake region early in the seven- 
teenth century, but their location is lost in the mist 
of geographical uncertainty. Moravian missionaries 
appeared as early as 1762, but they suffered massacre 
or were driven away. All these preceded the first 
important settlement of the state at Marietta in 1788. 

While authentic records of these settlements 
exist they show that they were not permanent, and 
prior to 1794 and the battle of "Fallen Timbers" the 
Indians had substantially complete possession and 
control of the valley for an unknown number of 
centuries. 

It was their favorite hunting ground, the earthly 
paradise of the great nations which inhabited it, con- 
trolled it, fought for it, and finally departed from it 
with broken spirits and saddened hearts. 

Our struggle with the Indians who were con- 
stantly urged to hostilities by the British located in 
Canada prior to 1792 need not be detailed. 

In April, 1792, President Washington appointed 
General Anthony Wayne major general of the army, 
with special reference to operating against the In- 
dians of the northwest, but before proceeding to 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 13 

hostilities he appointed a commission to negotiate 
a treaty of peace and boundaries with the north- 
west tribes. These commissioners were Benjamin 
Lincoln, Beverly Randolph and Timothy Pickering. 



COMMISSIONERS' DUTIES. — They were 
clothed with authority to settle boundary disputes, 
and terms of peace. They had special instructions 
to secure the confirmation of a treaty entered into 
at Fort Harmer in 1789, in which territory including 
this valley was ceded to the United States. They 
were authorized as a part of the terms of settlement 
to yield certain territory and places granted for trad- 
ing posts by former treaties. The commissioners 
went first to Niagara, where they had a meeting with 
Governor Simcoe of Canada, for the purpose of se- 
curing his co-operation in removing the prejudices 
then existing with the Indians against the United 
States, and received his affirmative assurances of 
such co-operation. A meeting was later held at the 
foot of the rapids of the Maumee at which Colonel 
Butler, a British superintendent of Indian affairs, 
Governor Simcoe, Captain Brandt, about fifty chiefs 
from different nations, and the three commissioners, 
were present. The question of a convention, or 
meeting, of representatives of the Indian nations 
and the commissioners for holding a treaty was dis- 
cussed, but without success. At this meeting were 
chiefs and leading men from the Wyandottes, Dela- 
wares, Shawnees, Miamis, Pottowatomies, Ottawas, 
Chippewas and others, who in a very able and skil- 
fully prepared paper, signed by all the chiefs, de- 
manded that the Ohio river should be the boundary 



14 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

line between them and the whites, which closed all 
negotiations, and General Wayne at once com- 
menced the organization and equipment of his 
army, with full knowledge that in the coming strug- 
gle the Indians would have the support of the British 
in moral and substantial ways. 

Conclusive evidence exists that Governor Sim- 
coe and his Canadian associates, if not his British 
superiors, were not only advising and influencing 
the Indians to refuse to treat with the United States, 
but promising British support in the impending 
conflict. 



INDIANS TAKEN PRISONERS. — In June, 
1794, two Pottowatomies were taken prisoners, and 
their examination is a matter of public record, in 
which they stated that their nation received an invi- 
tation from the British to join them in war with the 
United States. That this invitation was extended 
on the first of the last moon, being brought to the 
Pottowatomies by three chiefs, a Delaware, a Shaw- 
nee, and a Miami. The message advised them that 
the British were then at Roche de Boeuf, on their 
way to war against the States. That the number of 
British there was about 400 with two pieces of artil- 
lery and a militia company from Detroit. That they 
had made fortifications around the house and store 
of Colonel McKee, where they had supplies, cloth- 
ing, provisions, and ammunition, which they would 
furnish the Indians if they would join them. 

They further said that on May 1, 1794, Indians 
had joined the British at Roche de Boeuf, from the 
Chippewas, Wyandottes, Shawnees, Tawas, Dela- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 15 

wares and Miamis. That Governor Simcoe had the 
previous winter sent messages to the Pottowatomees 
urging war, and repeated it in May from Roche de 
Boeuf. 

Roche de Boeuf is on the north side of the Mau- 
mee river, a few miles from Waterville in Lucas 
county. General Wayne, having this information, 
started his forward movement to the seat of war. 
In July Colonel Scott, with 1,600 mounted Ken- 
tuckians, joined him at Greenville. The army 
reached the junction of the Auglaize and Maumee 
rivers, where General Wayne built Fort Defiance 
in July, 1794. 



WAYNE ADDRESSES INDIANS.— From Fort 
Defiance, on the 13th of August, 1794, he addressed 
a message to the Indians, in a last effort to secure 
peace, informing them that some Indian prisoners 
would be held as hostage for the safety of his mes- 
sengers. He closed his message in these words: 

"Brothers, be no longer deceived or led astray 
by the false promises and language of the bad men 
at the foot of the rapids. They have neither power 
nor inclination to protect you. No longer shut 
your eyes to your true interest or happiness, nor 
your ears to this overture of peace, but in pity for 
your innocent women and children come and pre- 
vent the further infusion of your blood. Let them 
experience the kindness and friendship of the Unit- 
ed States and the invaluable blessings of peace and 
tranquillity." 

The Indians answered, asking ten days to con- 
sider, but the General, understanding the purpose 



16 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

of that, immediately marched down the river, reach- 
ing Roche de Bceuf on August 18th, and about five 
miles from there was fought the battle of "Fallen 
Timbers." The British had invaded our domain and 
built Fort Miami. The Indians were encamped, be- 
fore the battle, on Swan creek in the rear of that fort, 
with Little Turtle, a noted Miami chief and warrior, 
in command of about 2,000 picked warriors from the 
Miamis, Wyandottes, Pottowatomies, Delawares, 
Shawnees, Chippewas, Ottawas and Senecas. The 
army of Wayne, known as the "Continental Legion," 
consisted of about the same number of men. Before 
the battle it is related that Little Turtle called his 
chiefs together and made this speech to them: 

"We have beaten the enemy twice under sepa- 
rate commanders. We cannot expect the same good 
fortune always. The Americans are now led by a 
chief who never sleeps. The night and day are alike 
to him, and during all the time that he has been 
marching on our villages, notwithstanding the 
watchfulness of our young men, we have never 
been able to surprise him. Think well of it. There 
is something whispers to me it would be prudent 
to listen to his offers of peace." 

The hot-headed chiefs reproached him, inti- 
mating a lack of courage, and he said no more but 
prepared for battle. Where the forces met, the pres- 
ence of a large amount of fallen timber, the result 
of a recent tornado, prevented the advance of the 
American cavalry and furnished a formidable pro- 
tection to the enemy. 

An impetuous and irresistible charge drove the 
Indians and a few Canadians and Detroit militia 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 17 

from the field and resulted in a signal victory for 
General Wayne's forces. 



REPLY TO CAMPBELL.— While occupying 
the field of victory, Wayne discovered this Fort 
Miami with a British garrison commanded by a 
Scotchman, Major William Campbell. After the 
battle Campbell, by letter, demanded why Wayne 
had taken post within reach of the guns of his fort. 
Wayne replied by saying that if Campbell was en- 
titled to any answer at all, "The most full and satis- 
factory one was answered from the muzzles of his 
small arms yesterday morning against the horde of 
savages in vicinity of your post," and added: 

"But had it continued until the Indians were 
drawn under the influence of the post and guns you 
mention it would not much have impeded the pro- 
gress of my victorious army, as no such post was 
established at the commencement of the present 
war between the Indians and the United States." 

A warm correspondence followed, but its only 
effect was that Wayne's forces destroyed everything 
of the enemy that was destructible, within the vicin- 
ity of the fort, even to the point within reach of 
its guns. 

This short account of the battle of "Fallen Tim- 
bers" is given as an introduction to the treaty of 
Greenville, the battles of the War of 1812, the build- 
ing of the canal and the war with Michigan over the 
boundary question, and their influence on the loca- 
tion of what was even then prophesied would be a 
great metropolis at the head of the lake. 



18 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

AN INTERESTING CHARACTER. — An in- 
teresting character connected with these events was 
Captain William Welles. When he was twelve years 
old and an inmate of the family of Hon. Nathaniel 
Pope, in Kentucky, he was captured by some In- 
dians of the Miami nation and brought to this vicin- 
ity. He grew up as a member of the tribe, bearing 
the Indian name of "Black Snake." He became 
very influential in the tribe and married the sister 
of the famous chief Little Turtle.* In the battle be- 
tween the Indians and whites, under Generals Har- 
mer and St. Clair, he fought with the Indians under 
Little Turtle, but always disturbed by recollections 
of his early boyhood, and his white associates. When 
Wayne's army approached he determined to join his 
white brethren, and taking Little Turtle to the banks 
of the Maumee river, said to him: "I leave your na- 
tion for my own people. We have long been friends. 
We are friends yet until the sun reaches that point 
(pointing). Then we are enemies. Then if you 
wish to kill me you may. If I want to kill you, I 
may." He then bade him farewell, crossed the river, 
joined Wayne's army and became captain of its 
scouts or guides. He had three daughters and one 
son by his Indian wife. One of these daughters be- 
came the wife of Judge Wolcott of Maumee, who 
was a descendant of the Connecticut family of that 
name, so prominent in Colonial and Revolutionary 
events. 

After the treaty of Greenville Captain Welles 
with his family settled at "Old Orchard," near the 
confluence of the St. Marys and St. Joseph rivers, 

*It is a disputed question whether Welles married a sister or a 
daughter of Little Turtle. See Wag-goner's "History." 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 19 

where the government granted him a preemption 
of 320 acres of land. His achievements and adven- 
tures are detailed in a number of historical records 
of the locality and period. 

In June, 1795, the chiefs of the Indian nations 
began to assemble at Greenville. On July 15th 
there was a council at which were present the chiefs 
of the Wyandottes, Delawares, Ottawas, Pottowato- 
mies, Chippewas, Miamis and Wabash. General 
Wayne presented the terms of a treaty for their con- 
sideration and on July 30th the same was approved 
by the unanimous vote of the tribes and nations 
present, represented by 1,130 chiefs and leading 
men. 

TERMS OF TREATY. — The terms of that 
treaty I must pass, except that after defining the 
boundary lines and other matters, there were certain 
reservations to the United States, among which were 
one of twelve miles square at the foot of the rapids 
of the Miami of Lake Erie, and one of six miles 
square at the mouth of the river for military and 
commercial purposes. 

The twelve-mile square reservation came down 
the river far enough to include the mouth of Swan 
creek, and what is now part of the city of Toledo, 
including the business portion of the city, to a point 
near Madison Avenue. It included both banks of 
the river and its center was supposed to be on Big 
Island at the foot of the rapids this side of Maumee. 

After this treaty and in 1796 the British govern- 
ment surrendered its posts within the limits of the 
United States, including Fort Miami, at the foot of 
the rapids of the Maumee. 



20 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

There was substantial peace in the valley after 
the treaty of Greenville until the War of 1812 broke 
out between the United States and England. 



OLD FORT INDUSTRY. — Shortly after the 
treaty and about the year 1800, there was erected by 
the government, in the vicinity of what is now the 
corner of Monroe and Summit Streets, a fort which 
was called Fort Industry. This was erected and gar- 
risoned to enforce obedience to the treaty and to 
protect the reservations from depredation, and for 
a number of years a company of regulars was sta- 
tioned there. At this fort in 1805 another treaty 
was concluded with the Indians, by which their title 
to the fire lands (now Erie and Huron counties), 
was finally extinguished. In the War of 1812 this 
part of the country suffered severely. I need not 
recount the surrender by General Hull of Fort De- 
troit to the British on August 16, 1812, for which he 
was afterwards court-martialed and convicted of 
cowardice and neglect of duty. This was followed 
by the River Raisin massacre in January, 1813, where 
the British and Indians ambushed General Winches- 
ter and his 800 men and where, under promise of 
protection if he surrendered, one-third of his men 
were butchered. Immediately following this, and 
on the first of February, 1813, General Harrison ad- 
vanced with a force from Fremont to the rapids, 
where he set about the construction of a fortifica- 
tion which he named Fort Meigs, in honor of the 
governor of Ohio. He anticipated, and the subse- 
quent events proved correctly, that the British 
would advance from Detroit and Maiden and inter- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 21 

vening points occupied by them to the river for the 
capture of this fort, and the control of this harbor 
from the lake. 

On April 28th the British commenced the in- 
vestment of the fort, under the British General 
Proctor, and by May 1st they had their batteries in 
position directly opposite the fort on the northerly 
side of the river. On May 5th General Clay of Ken- 
tucky came down the river with 1,200 troops for the 
relief of General Harrison. Before they reached the 
fort, however, General Proctor sent Major Chambers 
to the fort demanding its surrender, to which Gen- 
eral Harrison replied: 



HARRISON ISSUES DEFI. — " Tell General 
Proctor if he takes this fort, it will be under circum- 
stances that will do him more credit than a thousand 
surrenders." 



COL. DUDLEY'S DEFEAT.— During the Bom- 
bardment Harrison sent orders that Colonel Dudley, 
commanding under General Clay a part of the rein- 
forcements, to land his regiment of 800 men above 
the British batteries, make a rapid assault, and cap- 
ture and spike the guns, and then withdraw under 
the bank of the river, leaving the enemy on the 
plains above exposed to the fire of Fort Meigs. 
Dudley by a brilliant movement and charge cap- 
tured the guns, spiked most of them and drove the 
body of the enemy from the ravine where they were 
sheltered, onto the upland. Unfortunately, his 
troops, fired with success and anxious to avenge the 
massacre at River Raisin, instead of withdrawing 



22 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

under the bank as ordered, pursued the retreating 
British and Indians across the ground now occupied 
by the old Maumee courthouse, a long distance 
into the wilderness, where a body of Indians coming 
from Maiden for the relief of the British joined the 
latter, and learning of the situation, formed an am- 
bush on the low ground on the side of Swan creek, 
surrounded by woods, into which the Kentuckians 
rushed and were slaughtered, without mercy, only 
148 of the 800 surviving, and that many only because 
the great Indian Chief Tecumseh stopped the mas- 
sacre and taught the civilized English general a les- 
son in what was honorable warfare. The survivors 
were marched to Fort Miami, where many of them 
had to run the barbarous Indian gauntlet to escape 
death. 



RETREAT OF PROCTOR. — On the 9th of 
May Proctor decided on his final retreat and left for 
Maiden. 

Following this was the defense of Fort Steven- 
son and the battle of Lake Erie, resulting in Perry's 
victory, with their great influence in bringing about 
the close of the war. 

By act of Congress at the session of 1816 and 
1817 the reservation of twelve miles square at the 
foot of the rapids was ordered surveyed and sold. 
A company of Cincinnati men bought about 400 
acres adjacent to the mouth of Swan creek, for 
$76.06 an acre, agreeing to pay for it one-fourth 
down and the balance in three equal annual pay- 
ments. They defaulted on the deferred payments 
and Congress passed a relief act, allowing them to 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 23 

retain a part of the property for their down pay- 
ments and surrendering the balance to the govern- 
ment. The University of Michigan was organized 
and was given the right to locate a certain amount 
of land within the territory of Michigan, in aid of 
the university. This territory was then supposed to 
be in Michigan. The university located these tracts 
and its title was afterwards confirmed by Congress. 
All these events had attracted the attention of 
the country to this valley. Indiana was seeking the 
aid of the government in the construction of a canal 
to reach the navigable waters of Lake Erie, and had 
received a grant from Congress of alternate five miles 
square of land on each side of the proposed canal 
from the Wabash to Lake Erie. The terminus of the 
canal became a matter of great importance. 



CHAPTER II 
Ordinance of 1787 — Boundary Disputes 

Under the Ordinance of 1787, for the govern- 
ment of the Northwest Territory, it was provided 
that the territory should be divided into not less 
than three or more than five states, and in case of 
making only three states, the northern line of the 
eastern states should be drawn due east from the 
southern boundary of Lake Michigan. 

The provision of Article 5 of the Ordinance is: 

"Provided, however, and it is further understood 
and declared that the boundaries of these three 
states, shall be subject so far as to be altered that if 
Congress shall hereafter find it expedient, they shall 
have authority to form one or two states in that part 
of the said territory which lies north of an east and 
west line drawn through the southerly bend or ex- 
treme of Lake Michigan." 

In the convention at Chillicothe for the framing 
of the constitution for the admission of Ohio into 
the Union it was proposed and adopted as follows: 

"Article 7, Sec. 6. That the limits and bounda- 
ries of this state be ascertained, it is declared that 
they are, as hereinafter mentioned. 



THE STATE BOUNDARIES.— "Bounded on 
the east by the Pennsylvania line, on the south by 
the Ohio river, to the mouth of the Great Miami 
river, and on the north by an east and west line 
drawn through the southerly extreme of Lake Mich- 
igan, running east, after intersecting the due north 
line aforesaid, from the mouth of the Great Miami 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 25 

river until it shall intersect Lake Erie or the terri- 
torial line and thence with the same through Lake 
Erie to the Pennsylvania line aforesaid. Provided 
always and it is fully understood and declared by 
this convention that if the southerly bend or extreme 
of Lake Michigan should extend so far south that a 
line drawn due east from it should not intersect Lake 
Erie, or if it should intersect said Lake Erie east of 
the mouth of the Miami river of the Lake, then and 
in that case with the assent of the Congress of the 
United States the northerly boundary of this state 
shall be established by and extended to a direct line 
running from the southern extremity of Lake Mich- 
igan to the most northerly cape of the Miami bay, 
after intersecting the due north line from the mouth 
of the Great Miami river aforesaid, thence northeast 
to the territorial line, and by said territorial line to 
the Pennsylvania line." 

With this constitution Ohio was admitted into 
the Union. 

About 1817 a man named Harris was sent by the 
surveyor general to survey a line between Ohio and 
the territory of Michigan. Surveyor General Tiffin 
had given his instructions to follow the provisions 
of the constitution of Ohio, and with the aid of as- 
sistants and some Indian guides, he ran and estab- 
lished what is known as the Harris line. 



DISPUTE STATE LINES.— Governor Cass, of 
Michigan, complained of this as being in violation 
of the Ordinance of 1787, and President Monroe or- 
dered the surveyor general to cause a new line to be 



26 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

run in accordance with the provisions of the Ordi- 
nance, and in the following year a surveyor named 
Fulton was sent out and established what has since 
been known as the Fulton hne, which in this vicinity 
is about eight miles south of the Harris line, and if 
adopted would have placed Toledo in Michigan. 

Very little importance was given to the bound- 
ary question or which line should be adopted, for a 
number of years, but in 1824 and following, Ohio 
began to manifest considerable interest in this Wa- 
bash & Erie Canal project, and also to contemplate 
a canal from Dayton to Lake Erie in connection with 
the Wabash & Erie Canal. 

Then this disputed piece of territory between 
the Harris and Fulton lines began to assume very 
great importance, as it included the entrance of the 
Maumee river and bay to the lake. 

It became evident that wherever these canals 
terminated by entrance to the river or lake, a com- 
mercial city would grow up, and it was quite evident 
that the canal ought to enter the Maumee for its 
lake connection somewhere between the foot of the 
rapids and the Maumee bay. 

Ohio wanted this strip to develop it and with 
it its northwest territory. Michigan wanted it to 
prevent its development, as it anticipated that seri- 
ous injury would be done to Detroit and Monroe 
by building up a city at the head of the lake and the 
mouth of the river. 

Ohio had control of the great question of the 
terminus of the canal and it delayed action on that 
question until the boundary line should be settled. 

In 1833 the sessions of Congress, the Ohio Legis- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 27 

lature and the Legislative Council of Michigan were 
concurrent, all in session at the same time. 

The Legislative Council of Michigan rashly 
passed an act called "The Pains and Penalties Act," 
which provided severe penalties for any one within 
the limits who should acknowledge any other au- 
thority than was derived from the territory of Michi- 
gan. When the news of this was brought to the 
Ohio Legislature it stirred up a storm, and it met the 
Pains and Penalties Act by an act authorizing the 
governor of Ohio to call out 10,000 militia and placed 
$250,000 at his command, authorizing him to re- 
mark the Harris line, appoint officers and organize 
government in the disputed territory. 



GOVERNOR LEADS MILITIA. — Governor 
Lucas led in person 500 militia to the Maumee to 
protect the commissioners whom he had appointed 
to re-mark the Harris line. 

Some of the surveyors were fired at by Michi- 
gan militia and for the time being further work of 
re-marking the line was abandoned, because about 
that time President Jackson sent two commissioners, 
Rush and Howard, to the disputed territory to effect 
a compromise. They proposed terms which Ohio 
agreed to accept but Michigan rejected. 

An election was then ordered in the disputed 
territory for local officers under the authority of 
Ohio, which was a complete challenge to Michigan 
authority to enforce the provisions of the Pains and 
Penalties Act. Major Benjamin F. Stickney, Piatt 
Card and John T. Baldwin acted as judges of elec- 
tion. This action caused excitement to run very 



28 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

high; a war between the state and territory seemed 
very imminent. Congress, in the session of 1834-5, 
had the boundary question for serious considera- 
tion. The Senate decided in favor of Ohio, by a 
vote of 30 to 10, but the House, under the leadership 
of John Quincy Adams, who favored Michigan, de- 
cHned to concur. 

Michigan also attempted to organize govern- 
ment in the disputed territory and appointed a jus- 
tice of the peace and constables, who attempted to 
administer the provisions of the Pains and Penalties 
Act by prosecutions against those recognizing Ohio. 
An officer from Monroe, James Wood, attempted to 
arrest Two Stickney and was warned to keep his 
distance. He insisted on making the arrest, when 
he was stabbed by a knife in young Stickney's hands, 
the only blood actually shed during the strife. 



DEMANDS SURRENDER. — Michigan de- 
manded young Stickney's surrender and appealed 
to President Jackson, who made an order directing 
the governor of Ohio to surrender Stickney to the 
Michigan authorities for prosecution. Governor 
Lucas replied to the president that the whole mili- 
tary power of the United States would not compel 
him to comply. 

In July, 1835, Governor Mason of Michigan sent 
a force of 250 men to Toledo to hunt for and capture 
young Stickney, but he had retired to the central 
part of the state and was not found. 



CHAPTER III 
Lucas County Established 

The county of Lucas was established by act in 
1835 and the 8th of September was fixed for the 
holding of the first term of the court of common 
pleas of Lucas county. Governor Mason organized 
a force of 1,000 men who marched to Toledo to pre- 
vent the court from assembling. The troops came 
to Toledo, but the court met without their knowl- 
edge and organized. Toledo sympathizers in Ohio 
were quietly organizing to drive these men back to 
Michigan, and it was with difficulty that Governor 
Lucas was prevented from taking the field in person 
with his 10,000 militia. Wiser counsels prevailed. 
The great strength of Ohio and the comparative 
weakness of the territory might have turned the cur- 
rent of opinion toward the weaker, if open hostilities 
had been precipitated by the act of the stronger. 

About this time Governor Mason was removed 
and Governor Horner, his successor, because of his 
conservative consideratron of the subject, was 
burned in effigy by the hot heads who approved of 
Mason's depredations. 



CONGRESS SETTLES QUESTION. — In the 
session of 1835-6, on June 30, 1836, President Jack- 
son in the meantime having come over to the Ohio 
side. Congress settled the question by an act estab- 
lishing the Harris line as the boundary. The canal 
was completed with its terminus near the Maumee 
bay in what was then Manhattan, now North Toledo. 

Down the river, just below the Wheeling bridge, 



30 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

on the east side, was the site of the encampment of 
Pontiac, the great Indian chief of 1764, and from that 
time down to and including the period covered by 
this narrative, it was a prosperous Indian village. 
The Indians were of the Ottawa nation and from 
1807 for many years were ruled over by the head 
chief, Tishqua-gwun, a descendant of Pontiac. 

Pontiac's widow, Kan-tuck-ee-gum, and their 
son, Otussa, also lived near by. Mesh-ke-Ma, a cousin 
of Otussa, ruled on the opposite side of the river, 
and he was the great orator of the nation. Other 
nations and tribes occupied other parts of the river 
banks. 

In 1807, Peter Navarre, born in Detroit, a son of 
Robert de Navarre, a French officer, came with his 
brothers and his father to reside at the mouth of 
the river near the settlements mentioned. He be- 
came famous as an American scout and guide in the 
wars with the Indians and British. He and one of 
his brothers carried the dispatch from General Har- 
rison to Commodore Perry to engage the enemy's 
fleet as soon as practicable. 



NAVARRE FINDS PERRY.— Navarre reached 
Put-in Bay on the 9th of September, delivered the 
dispatch, found Perry ready and waiting for the en- 
emy, and the engagement occurred the next day. 

In 1808 Ellsk-wa-la-wa, a brother of Tecumseh 
and a famous Shawnee prophet, visited these people 
on the banks of the river and claimed to have a mis- 
sion from the Great Spirit to induce the Indian na- 
tions to rise and reclaim the lands ceded to the 
United States. Tecumseh was trying to unite the 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 31 

western and southern tribes to the same end, and the 
Enghsh were sending agents into the same villages 
to revive their prejudices against the United States. 

Unfortunately for the Indians, when the War of 
1812 was declared, many of them believed the time 
had come when that might be accomplished. 

Prior to this declaration of war there were about 
67 white families settled on this twelve-square-mile 
reserve, living at peace with the neighboring Indians. 

During the hostilities, their homes, farm uten- 
sils, cattle, and everything that they could not take 
with them in their hurried flight, were destroyed. 
But the Indians suffered the most. The last 100 of 
this tribe of Ottawas that, in 1837, left their beauti- 
ful hunting grounds and their peaceful homes in 
the Maumee valley to go west of the Mississippi, 
were principally vagrants and drunkards. 

The wars, the treaties, bad bargains, bad judg- 
ment and bad whiskey rid them of all their power 
and possessions. 

Circumstances, perhaps not entirely creditable 
to the white man, but in obedience to an irresistible 
law that the savage must become civilized or perish 
under the wheels of that modern juggernaut called 
"progress," proved fatal to their continued life in 
the valley. 



CHAPTER IV. 
Early Years in Toledo 

It has been frequently said that a very large pro- 
portion of the present residents of Toledo know little 
or nothing about the early history of the city, and 
what is probably true, have concerned themselves 
very little about it. The city has grown in popula- 
tion so rapidly that the newcomers, if we include as 
newcomers those whose residence does not go back 
more than a dozen or fifteen years, outnumber very 
greatly those of longer residence, and that the de- 
scendants of the older inhabitants are now very 
largely in the class of grandchildren and not in pos- 
session of very much accurate knowledge of the 
pioneer days and struggles of their grandparents. 

There is not much of the early history of Toledo 
that is not of record somewhere and that is not ac- 
cessible to those who have the patience or curiosity 
enough to hunt for it. Histories of the state, includ- 
ing the Valley of the Maumee; histories of the val- 
ley itself, histories of the northwest, and histories of 
Toledo and Lucas county, have been written and 
published, and in each of them some parts of the 
information sought to be aggregated and at the same 
time condensed here, can be found, and to which 
the compiler is indebted for many of these facts. 
This little book is in the main a compilation. Its 
merit, if it has any, is that it gathers in a brief com- 
pass facts, well authenticated, which could not be 
obtained elsewhere without much of the same time 
and labor bestowed by the compiler, which very few 
of its readers would care to bestow upon it. Many 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 33 

facts are from personal recollection of the writer. 

And yet the city is not old. Many of the early 
events related are within the memory of many per- 
sons still living. That in 1836 it had less than 100 in 
population; in 1846, only about 2,000, and in the cen- 
sus of 1850 only 3,100, does not depend upon written 
history to a great number of people still living who 
know. That the most hopeless and repellant spot 
in the limits of the city is now its great business 
center is within the knowledge of living citizens who 
learned to skate and paddle a canoe in the vicinity 
of where the Spitzer and Nicholas buildings and the 
principal business area are now. Living men re- 
member the awful years of the cholera plague, 1852 
and 1854, which necessarily impeded the growth of 
the city, followed by the panic of 1857, and, notwith- 
standing these obstacles, they know that the growth 
in population from a little over 3,000 in 1850 exceed- 
ed 13,000 in 1860. If sixty or seventy years of life in 
a city makes one a pioneer, there is quite a number 
of pioneers still living in our midst. The marvelous 
thing is that a pioneer sixty or seventy years wit- 
nessed the growth of a city from 3,000 to 250,000 
people, and in all that makes a city, its growth is in 
the same proportion. 



EARLY LAND INTERESTS. — It is this fact 
that led the Toledo Commerce Club to believe that 
the days of the infant city should not be entirely 
obliterated or forgotten in the activities and absorb- 
ing influences of the days of its strength and size. 
It must be understood at the outset that this narra- 
tive is to be confined to the early years of the city 



34 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

and to events which may pass out of memory when 
the pioneers of sixty or seventy years, spoken of, 
pass away. 

It has been stated that by special act of Con- 
gress, at the session of 1816-17, this twelve miles 
square reserve at the foot of the rapids of the Miami 
of Lake Erie was ordered surveyed and sold. The 
tract was surveyed and divided into several tracts 
numbered from one up. River Tracts one and two 
are interesting here. A company of men, including 
William Oliver, Martin Baum, Jacob Burnet, Wil- 
liam C. Schenck, John Piatt, Robert Piatt, William 
N. Worthington and others, purchased at the sale 
these two tracts, with others, from the government 
at $76.06 per acre on terms requiring one-fourth 
down and the balance in three equal annual pay- 
ments, and these gentlemen, before making any but 
the down payment, adopted a plat, with streets and 
town lots, and called it Port Lawrence, and imme- 
diately offered these lots for sale at an auction to 
be held September 17, 1817, at Fort Meigs, and a 
number of them were sold on the same terms of 
payment as provided in the purchase from the gov- 
ernment. 

Unfortunately they were unable to make the 
deferred payments to the government when they 
became due, and Congress passed a special act for 
their relief, allowing them to retain part of the land 
for their down payment upon surrendering the re- 
mainder. Under this arrangement, the Port Law- 
rence property was relinquished, including all the 
lots that had been sold. The territory of Michigan 
had created a university by the name of the Univer- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 35 

sity of Michigan, and under an act of Congress au- 
thorizing the location of certain lands for aid to the 
university, it located these surrendered lands and 
the title was confirmed by Congress. 

Then three of the original purchasers; Martin 
Baum, William Oliver and Micajah J. Williams, en- 
tered into negotiations which resulted in their pur- 
chase of these lands by exchange for other lands in- 
cluded in the original purchase, Oliver taking title 
in his own name. 



WAREHOUSE IS BUILT.— Before surrendering 
this land to the government, the proprietors, in con- 
nection with Benjamin F. Stickney, built a ware- 
house on what is now lot two of the Port Lawrence 
Division, and now covered by the Bostwick & Braun 
Company building. It was built of logs, was two 
stories high, and was the occasion of an interesting 
gathering of people to a "log raising" and with re- 
freshments and music, games, dancing, etc. The 
event was duly celebrated by the settlers around 
Fort Meigs, Perrysburg, Maumee and the vicinity. 

Another structure in the vicinity was an old 
blockhouse, a part of Fort Industry, in the vicinity 
of what is now the corner of Monroe and Summit 
Streets, on the riverside, where the present Fort In- 
dustry block stands. 

Among the earliest settlers on this tract were 
John T. Baldwin and his family, consisting of his 
wife, four sons and one daughter, who came from 
Palmyra, in Portage county, Ohio, in February, 1823, 
and who settled in this warehouse, built in 1817, and 
lived in it until 1833. Marquis Baldwin, one of the 



36 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

sons, never left Toledo except for sixteen years he 
lived on a farm in Washington township, near To- 
ledo, and then moved back into the city. 

There were many residents on the Maumee 
river, at Maumee, Perrysburg, Orleans (Fort Meigs), 
and Miami, but in the territory now occupied by 
Port Lawrence, the Baldwins were among, although 
not the earliest permanent residents. 

There was, in 1822, a small frame house on 
Perry Street, between Summit and St. Clair, owned 
by Joseph Prentice, father of Frederic Prentice, who 
later became a large landowner here. In this house 
Frederic was born December 22, 1822, and is sup- 
posed to be the first white child born in Port Law- 
rence. His father, above mentioned, was employed 
by the Port Lawrence proprietors to erect the ware- 
house previously mentioned, in 1817. Frederic lived 
to be 93 years old and died in New York in 1915. A 
log house stood on Superior Street, near the present 
police station, owned by Joseph Trombley; a hewed 
log house on Summit Street, near Jefferson, owned 
and for a time occupied by William Wilson. A part 
of Fort Industry, with pickets of the fortification ex- 
tending to Jefferson Street, was still standing in 
1823. This statement is of course confined to Port 
Lawrence. The settlements at Tremainsville, now 
a part of Toledo, are briefly stated later. Down the 
river, in what was afterwards known as Stickney's 
Addition, north of Vistula, was a brick residence on 
Summit Street, between Bush Street and Stickney 
Avenue, built and occupied by Benjamin F. Stick- 
ney. Back from the river on what is now Colling- 
wood avenue, Noah F. Whitney lived, and Coleman 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 37 

L Keller, Sr., lived in a house nearby, and lower 
down the river, Peter Navarre and his four brothers, 
Jacob, Francis, Alexis and Antoine, lived on the east 
side, about where Ironville now is. 



FIRST STORE IS BUILT.— John Baldwin and 
Cyrus Fisher opened the first store in Port Lawrence, 
and John Baldwin & Co. sold dry goods there up to 
about 1829; the first store being in the log ware- 
house built in 1817. 

After the collapse of the original Port Lawrence 
Company and the acquisition of title in the name of 
Oliver to river tracts one and two, the Port Lawrence 
Company was resurrected and in December, 1832, a 
new plat was made which included the land between 
Jefferson and Washington streets and back from the 
river to Superior street, but the names of the streets 
were different in these instances. What is now Sum- 
mit street was named Erie street. St. Clair street 
was Ontario street, and Superior street was Huron 
street. 

There were about seventy-two lots in the plat 
and most of them sold in 1833 and 1834, the price 
running from $25 to $200 each. Many changes in 
the personnel of the Port Lawrence Company oc- 
curred in 1833, 1834 and 1836, by sales of undivided 
interests, to and from many persons. The change 
of ownership, the additional plats, etc., it is impos- 
sible to give in detail. By various additions the plat 
was greatly enlarged. 

A few of the sales, the names of the purchasers 
and the prices at which the lots were sold, follow: 

John Baldwin, lot 11, $25; Philo Bennett, lots 



38 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

17, 18, 23, 24. $250; Coleman I. Keeler, lots 33, 34, 40, 
$50; John Baldwin lot 8, $200; Abraham Retter, lot 
46, $125; George Bennett, lots 22, 51, $75; Henry W. 
Goettel, 1-2 lot 12, $100; W. J. Daniels, 6 feet of lot 
10, $25; C. J. Keeler, lot 44 and 20 feet of 42, $200; W. 
J. Daniels and Company, lots 88, 89, 406 and 407, $70; 
W. J. Daniels and Company, lot 19, $50; Piatt Card, 
127, 129, 140, 16, 27, 28, 210, 242, 146, 147, 77, 164, 233, 
290, 274, 202 and 21, $8,100. The last sale to Mr. Card 
was at a later date than the others. 



VISTULA. — Benjamin F. Stickney became in- 
terested in Port Lawrence first by purchase of lots in 
the 1817 plat and afterwards in the new plat. He 
burned the brick for the purpose of building on this 
plat, which he afterwards used in building his resi- 
dence downtown between Bush and Stickney ave- 
nue. He became dissatisfied with what he called 
lack of enterprise in the Port Lawrence proprietors, 
withdrew his interest from it and in 1833 laid out 
the town of Vistula on land immediately adjoining 
the Port Lawrence property on the northeast. He 
made a contract with Edward Bissell, then of Lock- 
port, New York, for certain improvements, involv- 
ing a large outlay by Bissell for buildings, roads, 
docks, etc., and in 1833 the sale of lots began, and 
continued until the fall of 1835. The Vistula pro- 
prietors included Benj. F. Stickney, Edward Bissell, 
Isaac S. Smith, J. B. Macy, Hiram Pratt, W. F. P. 
Tayler, Robert Hicks and Henry W. Hicks, with 
others. 

Docks were built from Lagrange to Elm street, 
a warehouse and other improvements. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 39 

To celebrate this successful inauguration of the 
new town, a grand ball was given in the old ware- 
house above mentioned, then occupied by the Bald- 
wins, the upper story being used for the dance, par- 
ticipated in by residents all along the river from 
Perrysburg and Maumee to the bay, that being the 
only room fit for the accommodation of such a fes- 
tivity in the vicinity. 



CHAPTER v.— TOLEDO NAMED, 

Before the union of Vistula and Port Lawrence, 
there had been laid out the town of Manhattan, and 
improvements had been made there. A hotel was 
built. Two warehouses out on the edge of the chan- 
nel approached by docks built on piling, some of 
which can yet be seen in low water. 

Manhattan and Perrysburg seemed to unite 
against the two embryo Toledo towns. Marengo and 
East Marengo and Austerlitz were laid out and the 
claim made that the canal should enter the river at 
Delaware creek, which was called "The Head of 
Navigation," and there would be the site of the fu- 
ture great city. The channel of the Maumee river 
was a great distance from the Manhattan shore, be- 
ing nearer the east side at that point. At Toledo it 
was close to the west side. And yet, many steam- 
boats would land at Manhattan, pass Toledo on the 
way to Perrysburg, unless compelled by traffic con- 
ditions to stop, and it became evident that these two 
rival towns, Port Lawrence and Vistula, had better 
settle their jealousies and unite their energies in 
combating the common enemy. 

A conference was held, a union agreed upon, 
and in that conference one James Irvine Brown sug- 
gested the name of Toledo and it was adopted. 
Brown was a purchaser of some lots in the Vistula 
plat, and in 1833 came here from Easton, Pa., to live, 
under an arrangement with Edward Bissell to start a 
newspaper, which he did, locating his newspaper of- 
fice on Lagrange street, between Summit and Water 
streets and on August 15, 1834, he published his first 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 41 

number of the Toledo Herald, the present limits of 
Toledo. Mr. Brown set his own type and worked his 
own press and assisted in editing the paper. It has 
been claimed that this name was suggested first by- 
Two Stickney, and in the Toledo Blade of December 
12, 1903, Mr. Knabenshue, the editor, attributes it 
to Willard J. Daniels, but Mr. Andrew Palmer, who 
was present and one of the principal citizens at the 
time, in an early communication, gave Mr. Brown 
the credit. 



DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS.— It must be 
remembered that the territory included in the 
boundaries of the city of Toledo has been under 
many jurisdictions. About 1610 the French govern- 
ment claimed the territory and after planting the 
French flag at Sault Ste. Marie, for 120 years it was 
French domain. In 1763, Great Britain dispossessed 
France, and until 1783, and the treaty of peace be- 
tween Great Britain and the colonies, it was British. 
In 1787 it became a part of the northwest territory. 
In 1796 it became a part of Wayne county in said ter- 
ritory. In 1800 it passed to the territory of Ohio and 
in 1802 to the state. In 1803, Greene county, Ohio, 
included this part of the state. In 1805 Logan coun- 
ty. At this time and until the treaty of 1817 all of 
this territory except the reservations provided for 
in the treaty of Greenville was Indian territory, and 
not subject to the civil authority of Ohio. In 1805 
the new territory of Michigan was formed and it was 
claimed that it was in Wayne county, Michigan. In 
1827 Monroe county, Michigan, was organized and 
claimed it. In 1820 Wood county, Ohio, was organiz- 



42 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

ed and had jurisdiction so far as Ohio could give it. 
In 1827 Port Lawrence township, Monroe county, 
Michigan, was organized, which included this town- 
ship. In 1833 the agreement to consolidate Port 
Lawrence and Vistula was entered into. In 1835 Lu- 
cas county, Ohio, was organized by the legislature 
of Ohio to include Toledo. In 1837 the incorporated 
town of Toledo was created by act of the Ohio legis- 
lature. The date of the settlement of the boundary 
question has been given. 



TOLEDO THE COUNTY SEAT.— The act 
creating Lucas county provided that the county seat 
should be located at Toledo, and the first session of 
the county commissioners of Lucas county was held 
at Toledo, September 14, 1835, and the first session 
of the court of common pleas was held here on the 
7th of September, 1835, and the county seat remain- 
ed here until June, 1840, when commissioners ap- 
pointed by the legislature to determine the controv- 
ersy between Maumee and Toledo decided in favor 
of Maumee, and the county seat was moved there as 
soon as the county buildings were completed in 
1842. The court was held at Toledo in a small frame 
school house on Erie street, between Monroe and 
Washington, afterwards on the corner of Monroe and 
Summit, and later in a building owned by Richard 
Mott, near the corner of Summit and Cherry streets. 
By vote of the people in 1852, they decided to move 
the county seat back to Toledo, which was done, the 
county leasing the Duell block on Summit, between 
Cherry and Walnut streets, where the county offices 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 43 

were located, until the court house on the site of the 
present structure, was finished in 1854. 

In August, 1838, the proprietors of Oliver's divis- 
ion, which was platted and laid out in 1837, having 
set apart grounds near the old Oliver house at the 
junction of Ottawa street and Broadway, for a court 
house, proposed to the commissioners of the county 
to donate the ground and $20,000 in money towards 
the construction of the county buildings. On Au- 
gust 3, 1838, this offer was accepted by the commis- 
sioners, ground was broken and the foundation part- 
ly finished, when work was suspended because of the 
agitation to move the county seat to Maumee. 

In 1834 and 1835 Miss Harriet Wright, a niece of 
Governor Silas Wright, of New York, taught school 
in this building in which the court was held. She 
was married to Munson H. Daniels of Toledo (there- 
after the first sheriff of Lucas county) . Mrs. Daniels 
died in Toledo in 1842. So far as we have any re- 
liable information, she was the first female teacher 
in Toledo, and on July, 1835, the proprietors of Port 
Lawrence voted to give her as a complimentary pres- 
ent, on the occasion of hers being the first marriage 
at Toledo, lot No. 335, Port Lawrence. 



TREMAINSVILLE, WEST TOLEDO.— It was 
was somewhat difficult to determine the compara- 
tive dates of the settlement of Port Lawrence and 
Prairie or Tremainsville. Baldwin settled in the old 
log warehouse in February, 1823, and continued to 
live there with his family for 10 years, and members 
of his family continued to live in Toledo until their 
death. As already stated, there were other houses 



44 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

and other settlers here at that time. The Wilkinsons 
arrived and settled in Tremainsville in October, 1823. 
There were living in the vicinity at that or an earlier 
date Major Coleman L Keeler, Eli Hubbard and Wil- 
liam Sebley, descendants of the Hubbards, and 
Keeler continued to live here, and Mr. Solomon Wil- 
kinson still lived there when, 94 years old. There 
are no doubt many names of earlier settlers which 
ought to be mentioned. It is not intended to do 
more than to preserve the names of a few of the 
early settlers. The Stickneys and Navarres are prob- 
ably entitled to the first place in that respect as set- 
tlers within the present city limits. 

It is quite well established that Rev. John A. 
Baughman of the Monroe Methodist circuit preach- 
ed at Tremainsville in 1825, and formed a class at 
Ten-Mile Creek, and that a church edifice was later 
occupied on the land now occupied by the Lenk 
Wine Co. In the territory covered by Toledo, be- 
fore Tremainsville was annexed, and from 1828 to 
1832 there were 38 persons and 10 families living 
here, viz., Benjamin F. Stickney, William Wilson, 
Joseph Trombley, Bazel Trombley, Seneca Allen, 
John Baldwin, Joseph Prentice, Hiram Bartlett, Dr. 
J. V. D. Sutphen, Captain Forbes and Joseph Roop. 

The nearest postoffice was Tremainsville, and 
Benjamin F. Stickney carried the mail until 1833, 
when a postoffice was established at Toledo, just 
after the agreement for the union of Port Lawrence 
and Vistula. 



CHAPTER VI. 
CONTEST FOR COMMERCIAL SUPREMACY. 

MANHATTAN.— All along the river from Mau- 
mee to the bay for many years the question where 
would the canal enter the river, and hence where 
would be the great commercial city was the absorb- 
ing one. 

Maumee, Port Lawrence and Vistula, with occa- 
sional spasms of hope by the owners of Marengo and 
East Marengo, and Orleans, were for a time the prin- 
cipal competitors. On the union of Port Lawrence 
and Vistula in 1833, all of the conditions pointed to 
Toledo, but that was not conceded. 

About this time a number of Buffalo gentlemen, 
principally engaged in the forwarding business on 
the Erie canal and the lakes, became convinced that 
this western terminus of the lake with its harbor and 
river, would in time become an important commer- 
cial point, and they obtained title to a large amount 
of property near the mouth of the river, not jointly, 
but in the purchase of individual and separate tracts. 

Among these owners were Jacob A. Barker, H. 
N. Holt, Charles Townsend, Sheldon Thompson, 
John W. Clark, Stephen G. Austin, all of Buffalo, and 
George W. Card and Piatt Card, living where Man- 
hattan was finally located. 

These men decided to consolidate their inter- 
ests, lay out a town, make improvements and place 
the lots on the market. In October, 1835, they or- 
ganized "The Maumee Land and Railroad Com- 
pany," and appointed three trustees, John W. Clark, 



46 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Stephen G. Austin and John T. Hudson, to whom 
the necessary authority was given to plat and sell. 
They laid out the town of Manhattan. They built 
docks, warehouses and a large and spacious hotel. 
The hotel was opened in 1836. The proprietors of 
Manhattan and its settlers celebrated with great do- 
ings the fact that the real terminus of the canal was 
fixed at Manhattan, with only a side cut through 
Swan creek at Toledo. 

Shortly after the town of Manhattan was laid 
out, the same gentlemen with the addition of Daniel 
Chase, organized another company known as the 
"East Manhattan Land Company," to develop the 
land on the east side of the river and near its mouth. 

Under a treaty of February, 1838, certain tracts 
of land were granted to Indians of the Ottawa tribe 
and others, among them grants to Wa-Sa-On, Au-to- 
Kee-Guion, Paul and Leon, Kee-tuck-ee, Wa-sa-on- 
o-quit and the Navarres. Most of these lands were 
purchased by the above companies, mainly through 
the ageny of Daniel Chase. 

The capital stock of the Maumee Land and Rail- 
road Company, originally $350,000, was increased in 
1837 to $2,000,000, and the capital stock of the East 
Manhattan Land Company was nominally $960,000, 
and this company was largely interested in and in- 
strumental in projecting the Ohio Railway Company, 
elsewhere mentioned. These warehouses built at 
Manhattan for a number of years had a large busi- 
ness. As already stated, many boats landed at Man- 
hattan and skipping Toledo, went through to Mau- 
mee. A line of steamers, owned by these forward- 
ing merchants at Buffalo, who were the projectors 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 47 

and stockholders of the corporations above named, 
as long as they could, without loss, made the Man- 
hattan docks their main terminus, and it continued 
until their loss of traffic ended the contest and the 
warehouses were abandoned. 

The canal which the projectors supposed was to 
make Manhattan great, in fact, was in part the cause 
of its downfall. Its entire traffic came into Toledo as 
soon as it was completed, and the warehouses and 
elevators at Toledo furnished the traffic for the east 
by water and the boats had to come here. 

About opposite Manhattan there was an early 
French settlement, probably as early as 1807 or 1808, 
and this settlement adjoined a village of Ottawa In- 
dians who had resided there, certainly since the days 
of Pontiac, whose family lived there as early as 1763. 
In 1807 the Navarre family moved there and Peter 
and his brother Robert erected a cabin there, which 
Peter occupied most of his lifetime. 

Who these early French settlers at this village 
were, other than the Navarres, we have no authentic 
record. At the breaking out of the war of 1812, Pon- 
tiac's widow, with a son and grandson, still lived 
there. 

It is not intended in this narrative to include the 
early settlers at Maumee, Perrysburg, Miami, or the 
different points on the river south of Toledo. In 
1812 there were some 60 families living in the 12- 
mile square reserve south of what is now Toledo, 
and they were earlier than any settlement in the lat- 
ter by a number of years. 

The records show that in July, 1835, Wa-sa-on- 
o-quit, chief of the Ottawas, for $2,030 sold to Piatt 



48 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Card the Wa-sa-on-o-quit reservation, near the 
mouth of the Maumee, granted to that chief by the 
treaty of 1833, containing 160 acres. 

In May, 1836, Aush-Cush and Kee-tuck-ee chiefs 
of the Ottawas sold to Daniel Chase for $2,000 the 
160 acres reserved to them by the same treaty. Paul 
Guoin in May, 1836, sold the Guoin tract to Daniel 
Chase, and Leon Guoin, his tract to James L. Chase 
and Daniel V. Edsel, and so on. 



ORLEANS AND LUCAS CITY.— An interest- 
ing story connected with the final location of the fu- 
ture great city includes the building of the first 
steamboat on the lakes, "The Walk on the Water." 
Messrs. Mclntyre and Stewart of Albany, New York, 
built this steamer in 1818 in Buffalo, and she was 
built for the purpose of running from Buffalo to 
Perrysburg. The above named gentlemen purchas- 
ed a tract of land near Perrysburg, which included 
the site of Fort Meigs, and laid out on the river near 
the fort and on the low ground a town which was 
designed for the metropolis of the lake. It was nam- 
ed "Orleans of the North," and it was in aid of this 
town enterprise that Mclntyre and Stewart built this 
pioneer steamboat, under license from Fulton & Liv- 
ingston, the patentees. The steamer on her trial 
trip reached Toledo and found that she drew too 
much water to cross the bars and shoals between the 
lake and "Orleans," and the town of Orleans drifted 
into obscurity. The improvements which had been 
made were washed away by the flood of 1832. 

In the spring of 1836 there appeared in the To- 
ledo Gazette an advertisement of "Lucas City lots," 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 49 

announcing that about 1500 of these lots would be 
sold; that Lucas City was at the mouth of the Miami 
river, near its junction with Lake Erie, and giving ex- 
tensive praise to its advantages, and referring to all 
masters of lake vessels for confirmation of its future 
"as the great outlet of the west." It was signed by 
Willard Smith, E. C. Hart and George Humphrey, 
trustees. Nothing further seems to have been heard 
of it. "Lucas City" was supposed to be located 
where Ironville now is. 

Jesup W. Scott, after whom the Scott High 
school is named, in June, 1832, bought of Dr. J. V. D. 
Sutphen 70 acres, being part of the southwest frac- 
tional quarter of section 36, which includes now a 
part of Adams street, and having near its center the 
ground where the old high school stands, for $12 an 
acre. Dr. Sutphen then bought the west half of the 
northwest quarter of Section 35, and for this 80 acres 
he paid $480. In 1835 he sold this land to Scott and 
Wakeman for $35 an acre. In 1838 Scott sold an un- 
divided one-half to Noah H. Swayne, afterwards 
justice of the supreme court of the United States, 
for $200 an acre. A division was made by which 
Scott took the north 37 acres and Swayne the south 
part, about 43 acres. 

The lands embrace a considerable part of the 
business section on Adams and Madison, adjoining 
the Port Lawrence tract, Jefferson street, about 
where the Locke residence is. Swayne place, and 
Scottwood addition on Collingwood, Parkwood, 
Monroe, etc. 

The north line of the river tract on which Port 
Lawrence was laid out commenced at a point on the 



50 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

river east of Adams and near Lynn streets, and ex- 
tended west, crossing Madison street between Erie 
and Ontario streets and Monroe street about Twen- 
ty-second street, and all of the present city south of 
that line embraced in tracts one and two belonged 
originally to the Port Lawrence Company. It will 
be impossible to give the various additions to the 
city made since the city of Toledo was incorporated. 
The first city directory was issued in 1858. It 
contained 116 pages of names with an average of 20 
to a page, or about 2300 names, with a Tremainsviile 
suburb supplement containing 18 names. 



CHAPTER VII. 
EARLY TOPOGRAPHY. 



MUD CREEK AND THE HOGS BACK.— In 
the front of the Toledo house, Summit and Perry 
streets, hereafter, mentioned, the ground was pretty 
nearly the present level of Summit street, but near 
it was a depression, which formed the runway for the 
water from the low ground of Mud creek, and this 
was covered by a log bridge, the logs covered with 
earth, and there began the bluff or rise in the ground 
to the ridge called "The Hog's Back." This includ- 
ed all of Summit street from the point to nearly 
Oak street, and at about Jefferson street it was from 
15 to 20 feet higher than it is now. Its slope on one 
side was to the Maumee river, Water street not then 
being filled in, and on the other side to the creek 
above mentioned. A roadway was graded to the 
top of the bluff on the Monroe street end, where it 
was quite steep and on the top of the hill was a frame 
building, afterwards known as the National Hotel. 
This building stood there in 1836, and in 1845 was 
occupied by Lyman T. Thayer as the hotel above 
named. It was still in an abandoned and tenantless 
state in the writer's recollection. On the other slope 
and near its end on Summit, between Adams and 
Oak streets, Edward Bissell built a two-story build- 
ing which was the first postoffice of Toledo, built at 
this point, midway between Vistula and Port Law- 
rence, just after the union, as a part of the com- 
promise. The low ground from Monroe street to 



52 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Swan creek had the appearance of the bed of a for- 
mer bay, and the topography of Mud creek indicat- 
ed that it was at one time a considerable stream or 
an estuary of the lake. 

To those not familiar with the early topography 
of Toledo, the following facts will seem like a fairy 
story: Lower town and Upper town, Vistula and 
Port Lawrence, as late as 1850 were connected only 
by Summit street. A broad open space extended 
from Cherry to Adams and northwesterly to the 
canal. Summit street was graded through this Hog's 
Back, leaving embankments on either side between 
Oak street and Monroe from 5 to 20 feet high, and 
Summit street at this point resembled the channel 
of a canal with the water drained out. The earth 
from this excavation and the subsequent grading of 
the hill was used to fill up and practically make 
Water street at this point. These two sections of the 
city were connected only by a plank walk on the 
northwesterly side of Summit street and through 
the Hog's Back. In rainy weather that sidewalk was 
subject to landslides and became a very uncertain 
means of communication. 

Trinity church, commenced in 1844, was built 
on the extreme edge of the dry ground on that slope, 
the bed of Mud creek extending from that point on 
Adams street to about Michigan street, at Adams 
street and farther as you looked easterly, the waters 
of the canal at that point being sustained between 
earth walls built through the creek. 

To show something of the condition of the 
ground, now the principal business portion of the 
city, it may be related that there was a proposition 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 53 

from the Port Lawrence Company to donate the lot 
on St. Clair street where the First Congregational 
church stood, on condition of a church being built 
there. Jesup W. Scott offered the lot on the corner 
of Huron and Adams to the same church on the 
same conditions. 

A committee was appointed to select from the 
two offers the most desirable and that committee re- 
ported that the Adams street lot was surrounded by 
water, to get to it the committee was compelled "to 
pick their way on bogs, logs, and isolated points of 
earth, and the lot itself was a piece of ground above 
water about large enough for the church surrounded 
by water of more or less depth and within a foot of 
the land surface." 

The St. Clair street lot was dry and it was se- 
lected and on it the First Congregational church was 
built in 1844. This rejected lot on Adams street, 
corner of Huron, 103 feet on Adams and 180 feet on 
Huron, is probably worth five or six times as much 
now as the St. Clair street lot, 60 feet front, which 
was selected, and Rev. William H. Beecher, then 
pastor of the church, predicted that result. 

The Adams street lot is now occupied by the 
new Lasalle & Koch building. 

The canal ran through the city at the edge of 
the present library building, about where Ontario 
street crosses Adams, and the low ground, the bed 
of the creek, included the territory from near Orange 
street southwesterly with varying widths to its en- 
trance to the river, near Monroe street above men- 
tioned, now the most valuable part of the business 
property of the city. 



54 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

The morass or creek included the part of the 
city on Jefferson and Monroe about to Tenth street 
on Jefferson and after Jefferson street and Michigan 
street were graded and filled, the region for many- 
years was known as Smoky Hollow, occupied by 
squatters in small squalid shacks. The ground on 
which the old High school building stands sloped 
down to the creek and it included the territory 
northeast of Adams street, and crossing Cherry street 
about at Woodruff avenue extended northeasterly to 
a point near the site of the Bay View park and in- 
cluded a part of the original town of Manhattan. The 
hill from Cherry street down Superior and onto the 
ice of Mud creek was the famous toboggan hill for 
the boys in winter time for many years and as late 
as 1855. 

Dr. Walbridge, the first rector of Trinity church, 
in a letter describing the manner of getting to his 
church says: "Let us go now and see the church, 
observing on our way its immediate surrounding. 
We can reach it from down town by the plank walk 
on the northwesterly side of Summit St., the only 
one connecting the two nuclei of residences, which 
are distinctly separated by a broad unoccupied space 
extending from Cherry street to Madison street. 
Near the northwest corner of Cherry street are two 
frame dwellings, one occupied by Egbert S. Brown, 
a vestryman of the parish. Passing diagonally across 
the head of St. Clair street and looking in the direc- 
tion of that street over the lowland, here and there 
dotted with bogs, a little more swampy than the rest, 
we see scarcely a house of any kind short of Ira L. 
Clarks at the corner of Washington and Michigan 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 55 

streets, and Edward Bissel's one story cottage at the 
corner of Monroe and 11th. Passing on we see 
neither store nor dwelHng on either side of Summit 
street until ten or twelve rods of Adams street, what 
was evidently intended for a dwelling, now occupied 
by a furniture shop, and near it is a small brick build- 
ing in which is the postoffice. Nearing Adams street 
is a deep excavation made preparatory to the erec- 
tion of a hotel, which the boys call Trinity Pond. 
Nearly opposite is a two story wooden structure 
standing on log stilts over the head of a deep ravine, 
the office of the Toledo Blade. Looking towards 
the river, over ponds of water, enclosed by the filling 
of Water street, we see here and there a number of 
storehouses dotting the river front. Or suppose we 
come from the opposite direction, from the Indiana 
House, a pretentious edifice with ponderous columns 
supporting nothing. We first pass a few stores close- 
ly packed together till arriving midway between 
Monroe and Jefferson, we come to a high clay banK 
on which stand a dilapidated structure, called The 
Jefferson House; beyond that the continuation of 
the same bank with nothing on it; then Stows' jew- 
elry store at the corner of Jefferson, crossing which 
save one wood frame loftily perched we find no 
building of any kind on either side of Summit street. 
Going along Adams to near its intersection with St. 
Clair we came to the churchyard gate. 

It was partly from this swamp, as it was called 
that Toledo got the name of "Frog Town." Frogs 
were very plentiful, and it was a source of earning 
spending money for many of the boys of the town 
on Saturday and during vacations, to capture the 
frogs and sell the legs to the hotels. 



56 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

This swamp, and the fact that the region to the 
east and south of Toledo, called the black swamp, 
heavily timbered, but undrained and flooded most 
of the year, and the sluggish Maumee river, often 
covered with green scum, except the channel and 
the boat passages, were responsible for the preval- 
ence of the ague, which, in those days, no one hop- 
ed to escape. In June, 1837, some rhymester caused 
to be published eight or ten verses on the Maumee, 
the whole of which can be found in Wagoner's His- 
tory of Lucas County, two verses of which, devoted 
to the ague, are as follows: 

On Maumee, on Maumee, 

Tis ague in the fall; 
The fit will shake them so, 

It rocks the house and all. 

There's a funeral every day. 

Without a hearse or pall; 
They tuck them in the ground. 

With breeches, coat and all. 

A few years later, and in the Blade of December, 
1852, a poetical contribution was published entitled 
"Summit Street," and having nine verses of eight 
lines each, the first of which is as follows: 

O'er Summit street where'er I cast my eyes. 
What curious thoughts along my senses creep. 
Napoleon crossed the Alps; his high emprise 
Won him a deathless name, but not a step 
Of all the peaks he crossed, so hard to rise 
As Summit street, beneath whose lowest deep 
There is a depth no mortal ever scanned 
A gloomy deep of mud devoid of sand. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 57 

The remaining verses are devoted to accidents 
to man, woman and beast in traveling through this 
cut on Summit street through the Hog's Back, and 
between the Kingsbury house and Monroe street. 

The principal means of transportation was by 
lake and canal. The "Packet Dock" as it was then 
called was the front on Swan Creek, between Perry 
street and Lafayette street. This space was filled 
with stores supplying the numerous canal boats and 
their crews, and these were headquarters of the canal 
men when sober and on duty. The sailors and canal 
men hated each other intensely and whenever they 
met there was a free fight and often the clash of arms. 
Intemperance prevailed in both classes to an alarm- 
ing extent, and all the incidents of a reckless and 
riotous population they furnished. 

This disposition to fight was not confined to the 
boat men. The feuds between upper and lower 
town were many and bitter. They extended to the 
school children, and whenever on Saturday or a 
holiday a crowd of upper and lower town boys met 
it was the surest signal for a free fight resulting in 
many bloody noses and black eyes, of which the 
writer furnished an occasional example. Upper 
town, or what was then called "The Hill" embraced 
that section west of Monroe street and north of Swan 
Creek and was thought to be the tough part of the 
town. In the vicinity of the canal and along Swan 
Creek, and at the locks and acqueduct were drinking 
places, boarding houses for the packet men, and 
many scenes of riot and lawlessness. 

I deem it proper to say here that this section of 
the city is now inhabited by a thrifty, temperate, in- 



58 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

telligent and law abiding people, for which much 
credit is due to that splendid man, whose death a 
few years ago called from the press and the pulpit 
such words of praise, and such evidences of affection 
as are bestowed upon the memory of but few men, 
and deserved by few as he deserved them, the Rev. 
Father Hannin. 

It must not be supposed, however, from this 
that Toledo was an unsightly site entirely. The high 
ground westerly and northerly of this morass, now 
the beautiful residence part of the city, was always 
attractive. It was covered by magnificent forest 
trees, many still standing, and its contour and soil, 
its elevation and extent were peculiarly adapted to 
the needs of a beautiful city. There is nothing left 
of the unsightly creek. The great business struc- 
tures of the city are in the main occupying the 
ground formerly Mud creek. The streets have been 
filled in and their grade established so as to enable 
the magnificent sewer system of the city to be es- 
tablished at a grade high enough to reach the river 
and lake and the morals of the population has kept 
with the cities' growth until certainly they equal 
the average cities. 

Swan creek was crossed by a ferry at a point 
near Superior street and in 1898 the council appropri- 
ated $100 to build the ferry with the necessary rope 
and approaches, and made a contract with a Mr. 
Crane to operate the ferry for one-half the receipts, 
it being a toll ferry, and in 1840 the city granted a 
license to William Cqnsaul to operate a ferry across 
the Maumee river at the foot of Adams street for 
which Consaul was to pay the city clerk 50 cents. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 59 

In 1840 building a sidewalk on Monroe street 
was declared inexpedient by the council on account 
of the condition of the treasury, and until the Sum- 
mit street sidewalk was completed which caused the 
first deficiency in any fund in the city treasury. 

In 1830 the council appropriated $80 to defray 
the expenses of defeating the removal of the county 
seat to Maumee, and appointed a committee to ex- 
pend the same, but the county seat was removed, 
perhaps because the appropriation was not sufficient. 

In 1833 there was a warehouse, belonging to 
William P. and Willard J. Daniels, between Monroe 
and Jefferson streets. This warehouse was on the 
water front where the Hog's Back was at least 30 
feet above the level of the house, and the earth had 
been dug away from the bank to allow the building 
and to fill in the dock in front of it, access to which 
was by a road commencing at Jefferson street and 
cut sidewalks down the bank. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION. 



EARLY RAILROADS IN AND ABOUT TO- 
LEDO. — It is an interesting fact only about 230 miles 
of steam railroads were completed in the United 
States when the first projected railroad in this sec- 
tion took at least the form of a paper railroad. This 
was as early as 1832. Through the influence of Dan- 
iel 0. Comstock, a member of the legislative council 
of Michigan, a charter was obtained for a railroad 
company by the name of Erie and Kalmazoo Rail- 
road Company, which contemplated a railroad run- 
ning from Toledo to Adrian and to traverse Lake 
Michigan by way of Adrian and Kalmazoo. The 
company was organized in 1835, and in 1836 the road 
was built to Adrian. It was a strap rail, 2 1-2 inches 
wide and 5-8 of an inch thick and was spiked to a 
wooden stringer. When the road was opened in 
1836, it was drawn by horses, but later two small lo- 
comotives were secured. The history of this rail- 
road would make a volume in itself. By its charter 
certain banking privileges were granted to it, and 
the Erie and Kalamazoo bank was an adjunct of it 
and passed out of existence among the financial 
troubles which involved the railroad company. In 
1837 Edward Bissell was manager. In 1838 Richard 
Mott was president. In 1839 E. S. Dodd was presi- 
dent. In October, 1839, the road was placed in the 
hands of George Crane as receiver and the receiver- 
ship terminated in 1840. In 1848 the entire capital 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 61 

stock was sold under a decree to Washington Hunt 
of Lockport and George Bliss of Springfield, Mass. 
In those days the more modern plan of building 
railroads by placing bonds on the market and find- 
ing ready buyers had not materialized and the fin- 
ancial struggles of these energetic pioneers of our 
locality make a pathetic story. 

The tracks of this railroad terminated at first at 
Monroe and Water streets and its office was on Sum- 
mit street in a small frame building located where 
the Bostwick & Braun Co. building now stands, to- 
wards Perry street. Later the track was extended 
down Water street to Lagrange, with its depot near 
Cherry street, which was also the depot of the Cleve- 
land and Toledo Railroad Company, connected with 
the East Side by ferry, until both were removed to 
the middle ground in 1855. 

On July 4, 1835, the proprietors of Port Lawrence 
passed a resolution that each proprietor should take 
and pay $1000 of the stock of the railroad company 
for each 1-10 of the interest which he holds in the 
original plat of Port Lawrence. These were William 
Oliver, 5-16; M. T. Williams, 4-16; Isaac S. Smith, J. 
D. Macy, Hiram Pratt, William F. P. Taylor, Edward 
Bissell, Andrew Palmers and the firm of Raymond 
& Lynde, each 1-16. 

In the Toledo Blade of May 16, 1837, is an ad- 
vertisement with a picture of the small engine and 
one car with four wheels and which read as follows: 

'TO MIGRANTS AND TRAVELERS.— The 
Erie and Kalamazoo railroad is now in full operation 
between Toledo and Adrian. During the ensuing 
season trains of cars will run daily to Adrian, there 



62 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

connecting with a line of stages for the west, Michi- 
igan City, Chicago and Wisconsin territory. Emi- 
grants and others destined for Indiana, Illinois and 
Western Michigan will save two days and the cor- 
responding expense by taking this route in prefer- 
ence to the more lengthened, tedious and expensive 
route herefore traveled. All baggage at the risk of 
the owners. 

EDWARD BISSELL, 
W. P. DANIELS, 
GEORGE CRANE, 

Commissioners Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad 
Company. 

Buffalo, Detroit and other papers on the lakes 
will publish this notice to the amount of $5 and send 
their bills to the agent." 

In the effort of the state of Michigan to over- 
come the loss of Toledo as a lake port, she provided 
for a loan of $5,000,000 towards internal improve- 
ments, including the Southern railroad from Mon- 
roe, to traverse the southern tier of counties to Lake 
Michigan at New Buffalo. The building of the 
Northern Indiana from the Michigan and Indiana 
state line to Chicago, the building by the owners of 
the Erie and Kalamazoo of the Palmyra and Jack- 
sonburg Hne in 1838 (now the Jackson branch of the 
New York Central system), and the final consolida- 
tion of these roads in 1855 and the proceedings by 
which they became a part of the great New York 
Central system, need not be detailed more complete- 
ly than what follows: 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 63 

THE EARLY EASTERN RAILROADS.— Two 
companies were organized in 1850 as rival lines, one 
the Toledo Norwalk and Cleveland Railroad Com- 
pany constructed its line from Toledo to Cleveland 
via Fremont, Norwalk and Oberlin, and the first train 
over it arrived at Toledo December 30, 1852. The 
other was called the Junction Railroad Company, its 
line contemplated running from Cleveland via 
Elyria, Sandusky, Port Clinton, Milbury, Perrysburg, 
Maumee City, to Swanton, Lucas county, Ohio; 
where it was designed to connect with the Air Line 
branch of the Michigan, Southern and Northern In- 
diana, and then make a cut-off and diversion of 
trade via Sandusky. Work was prosecuted on the 
construction until 1852, when it was consolidated 
with the first named company and formed the Cleve- 
land and Toledo railroad. This is now the Sandusky 
division of the New York Central. 

Very much earlier, however, on March 8, 1836, 
there was a charter granted to a corporation known 
as "The Ohio Railroad Company," to build a rail- 
road from the Pennsylvania line to the Maumee 
river, Manhattan being its proposed western terminal 
point by way of Cleveland, Sandusky and Fremont. 
This charter had the advantage of what was after- 
wards called "The Plunner Law," by which the state 
was pledged to furnish its bonds to the extent of 
one-half of whatever railroad, turnpike and canal 
companies received on stock subscriptions for their 
work, and also was given, as in the case of the Erie 
and Kalamazoo, certain banking privileges. In 
March, 1842, the engineer reported that the super- 
structure was completed from the Maumee river to 



64 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Lower Sandusky (Fremont), but the scheme finally 
collapsed in 1848. The history of its efforts, schemes 
and failures, however interesting need not be re- 
counted. Its projectors are named under the head- 
ing Manhattan. 

In 1868 the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern 
Railway Company was formed by consolidation of 
the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana; the 
Cleveland and Toledo; Cleveland, Painesville and 
Ashtabula (Cleveland and Erie); Buffalo and Erie 
(Erie to Buffalo), with others, making a line from 
Chicago to Buffalo, and by purchase Toledo to De- 
troit, etc. 

In a recent pamphlet issued by the New York 
Central lines, it is said that one Nehemiah Allen, a 
Quaker, first suggested a railroad along the shore of 
Lake Erie from Toledo to Buffalo, and was thought 
to be crazy to suppose that a railroad could com- 
pete with water traffic ; that Mr. Allen was a resident 
of Toledo, a real estate agent and a prominent citi- 
zen. 

A map issued by the Toledo Commerce Club, 
showing the number of railroads, steam and electric, 
entering Toledo, makes it unnecessary to enumer- 
ate them here. They number 21 steam railroads and 
nine electric interurban lines running in all direc- 
tions, making Toledo one of the largest railroad cen- 
ters in the United States. 

On March 20, 1848, the city subscribed for $25,- 
000 of stock of the Toledo Plank Road Company. 
This company built a part of the roads contemplated, 
struggled for 10 or 12 years and then failed. The 
works of the company helped to develop the terri- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 65 

tory, and the city probably received a sufficient re- 
turn for its $25,000, but it lost its stock. In 1851, 
March 5, the city voted a subscripton to the Dayton 
and Michigan railroad, now part of the Cincinnati, 
Hamilton and Dayton. In 1869 the city issued $450,- 
000 of bonds to build a road to Woodville, which was 
built, and, without giving its history or the reasons 
for its sale, it was later sold to the Pennsylvania 
Company without limitations or conditions for $225,- 
000. 



RIVER, LAKE AND CANAL TRAFFIC— It 
will be impossible to give anything like a complete 
list of boats, sail and steam, built on the Maumee 
river or making Toledo one of their ports. Prob- 
ably among the first schooners trading on the river 
was The Leopard, a 28-ton craft owned by Capt. 
John T. Baldwin, heretofore mentioned. He came 
here first with the craft in 1818. At that time Mr. 
Baldwin located his family at Orleans, a name then 
given to Fort Meigs. As hereinbefore shown, they 
afterwards moved back to Portage county until 
February, 1823, when the family moved her and oc- 
cupied the old log warehouse in Port Lawrence. 

It is related by those who knew that one Capt. 
Jacob Wilkinson, owner and captain of the schooner 
Black Snake, sailed the Maumee river as early as 
1815. His nephew, David Wilkinson, was on board 
and he afterwards became very prominent in lake 
and river navigation. Between 1810 and 1846 there 
were 20 schooners, 12 steamboats and three propel- 
lors built at Perrysburg and Maumee and three at 
Toledo. 



66 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

As early as 1824 the custom house records show 
that between 1822 and 1824 there were 28 sail ves- 
sels of different kinds doing business on the Maumee 
river as part of their usual trips. In the Toledo Blade 
of April 25, 1838, was the following announcement: 
"THE STEAMBOAT SUN, C. K. Bennett, Master. 
"Will make her trips this season as follows: Will 
leave Manhattan every morning at 7 o'clock, Toledo 
at 8, Maumee City and Perrysburg at 10:30, Toledo 
at 2 p. m. and Maumee and Perrysburg at 5 o'clock 
and arrive at Manhattan at 7 p. m. April 25, 1838." 

During this same year the steamboat Andrew 
Jackson made two trips a day between Perrysburg 
and Manhattan, and the following year, 1839, a daily 
line from Detroit, consisting of the steamers Erie and 
Newberry, was installed, making stops at Toledo, 
Manhattan, Monroe, etc. During the following years 
the lake traffic increased with great rapidity. Up to 
1844 there were 115 steamers built on the lakes, sail- 
ing vessels increased in number and size. The junc- 
tion at Toledo of the canals and the lake, with the 
enormous volume of freight destined for the east, 
especially grain and pork, stimulated the lake traffic 
until for a time both the lake and the canal traffic 
were put out of business by the railroads. 

In 1838 the Wabash and Erie canal was being 
built through Lucas county, but the canal was not 
opened until 1843, when the first boat from La- 
Fayette arrived, and a great public celebration was 
had, with speeches by Hez. D. Mason, George B. 
Way, Myron H. Tildon, Benj. F. Stickney, John 
Fitch, Herman Walbridge and others. A fleet of 
canalboats from Lafayette arrived April 16 to 18, 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 67 

1844, carrying 471,922 pounds of lard, 415,098 pounds 
of bacon, 41,949 barrels of ashes, 3,983 bushels of 
wheat, 1,445 barrels of pork, 860 barrels of flour and 
other miscellaneous articles. 

The Miami and Erie canal gave Toledo the first 
canal boat from Cincinnati on June 27, 1845. On 
June 28, 1847, the packet boat Empire left Dayton 
for Toledo and arrived on the 30th. Among the pas- 
sengers were Governor of Ohio William Webb, ex- 
Governor Thomas Corwin, Robert C. Schenck and 
other distinguished citizens. The trip occupied 48 
hours. 

The canal tolls in Toledo in 1847 amounted to 
$63,869. The number of boats in commission, 417. 
The number of clearances by canal boats in 1848 was 
3,753; aggregate tonnage, 142,071,204 pounds. Tolls 
paid, $117,220.25. 

The number of canal boats, the tonnage and the 
tolls increased rapidly for a number of years, and in- 
deed up to about 1855. 



RAILROAD COMPETITION.— Enter now the 
railroads as competitors for this business, and the 
effect of that locally: About the year 1848, what is 
known on the early government maps as Lower 
Island, but generally known as the "Middle Ground," 
belonged to the proprietors of Oliver division. There 
were 30 acres of the Middle Ground, mostly marsh 
and about 14 acres of upland and the whole was of- 
fered at $70 an acre on conditions that a depot should 
be located there in two years. This was finally ac- 
cepted after continued negotiation by the Erie and 
Kalamazoo Company, by its then owners and the re- 



68 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

suit was that in 1855 the railroads moved there, and 
built the docks, Island house, station bridge, etc. The 
upland is where the present union depot is located 
and the railroad bridge across the river was built. 

The canal had three connections with the river, 
one at Manhattan, one at Maumee and the one at 
Toledo at the junction of the canal with Swan creek, 
and this was the only one that was used to any ex- 
tent. The canal from the locks to Manhattan never 
had any use and there never was any good excuse 
for it, and in 1870 it was abandoned. The Maumee 
connection was of no value and it was abandoned. 
The "Packetdock," so-called, was the land fronting 
on Swan creek between Perry and Washington 
streets, which was entirely occupied by stores sup- 
plying the canal boats, and having a large control 
of that trade. The elevator and grain warehouses on 
Water street from Monroe to Adams, about 15 in 
number, received the grain and other products 
brought down by these canal boats and in turn load- 
ed them into vessels for the east. 

The Wabash railway, planned in 1852, and built 
in 1853 to 1855, reached much of the section supply- 
ing the canal, but finally extended to the grain fields 
of the southwest. It acquired certain parts of the 
middle grounds by both purchase and lease, includ- 
ing a large frontage on the river. It also purchased 
lands adjoining and also fronting on the river further 
south. 

On this middle ground property large elevators 
were built, both by the railroad companies and priv- 
ate corporations where the different railroads from 
all directions could run the cars directly into them 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 69 

for unloading and where vessels of any draft which 
plied the lakes at that time could lay alongside of 
them for direct loading. 

The competition for a while was sharp, well 
fought, but the canal business died first, and the lake 
business was put to sleep, and was comatose for a 
number of years except as owned and operated by 
the railroad companies. 

The railway companies put on steamboat lines 
to aid in the quick transportation, which was becom- 
ing a persistent demand of dealers. The Wabash 
line, the Erie line, and the New York Central line 
consisted of about 30 steamboats and steam propel- 
lers plying between Toledo and ports on the lakes. 

The immense grain business handled by the 
railroads with Toledo as its transfer point from rail 
to lake, led to the building of these elevators to such 
an extent that in 1888 there were 12 in number, with 
a grain capacity of 7,250,000 bushels and a daily re- 
ceipt and shipment of 1,240,000 bushels. 

It is not the purpose of this paper to give in de- 
tail the present condition of Toledo, its trade com- 
merce, manufactures, etc., but a history of its start 
and some facts indicating its early conditions. We 
content ourselves here with the following statement 
of the exports and imports of the city for the year 
1851 of the articles named: 

EXPORTS. 

Corn, bu 2,775.149 

Wheat, bu 1,639,744 

Oats, bu 64,441 

Flour, bbls 242,677 

Pork, bbls 38,658 



70 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Spirits, casks 21,934 

Ashes, bbls 4,847 

Black walnut lumber, ft 2,134,073 

Staves, number 2,504,804 

Merchandise, lbs 403,513 

Butter, kegs 3,119 

Eggs, bbls 568 

Wool, bales 2,839 

Total value exports— $7,915,344.00. 

It will be noticed that there were practically no 
manufactured articles exported which were made 
here. 

IMPORTS. 

Merchandise, tons 23,260 

Barley, bu 27,505 

Beer and ale, bbls 1,354 

Whitefish and trout 10,490 

Salt 102,030 

Salt bags " 79,080 

Lumber, ft 11,837,747 

Shingles, number 6,277,000 

Lath 2,569,715 

Total value imports— $23,034,367.00. 

These figures are given to show the growth of 
Toledo from 1850 with its population of a little over 
3,000 to 1860 with a population of over 13,000, with 
its growth seriously retarded by the cholera seasons 
of 1852 to 1854. It was building — performing the 
athletics that were to make it strong when it reached 
municipal manhood. 

REVIVAL OF LAKE COMMERCE.— As al- 
ready stated, the railroad companies established ex- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 71 

tensive lines of steamers for lake connections with 
their lines of railroad. The lumber business fur- 
nished a large traffic from northern Michigan ports. 

Four important coal-carrying railroads — the 
Hocking Valley, the Toledo & Ohio Central, the 
Wheeling & Lake Erie, and the Waldhonding Valley 
branch of the Pennsylvania — brought and bring im- 
mense quantities of coal from the Ohio, Kentucky 
and West Virginia coal fields to Toledo for shipment 
to the northwest by water. The building of the 
straight channel connecting the river with the lake, 
and deepening it so that the heaviest draught boats 
could reach the coal and ore docks of these railroads, 
the unequaled harbor furnished by the estuary of 
the lake at this point and its advantage as an iron 
ore distributing point demanded and brought into 
its traffic the largest steam craft on the lakes. The 
shipment of bituminous coal from Toledo by lake 
now amounts to many million tons per annum, while 
the receipts of ore alone from the same points in the 
northwest to which the coal is shipped exceeds . . 
million tons. The steamers carrying this traffic are 
from 450 to 600 feet in length and with an ore ca- 
pacity of 8,000 to 10,000 tons each. 

The great trunk lines of railroad have main- 
tained their lake steamers connecting here with 
these lines of railroad with their cargoes for the east 
and the north. The growth of the city in popula- 
tion and commercial importance has induced pas- 
senger-carrying steamers to make it an important 
passenger and excursion points, and regular lines are 
now established between Toledo and Detroit, Cleve- 
land, Buffalo, Mackinac Island, Put-in Bay, Georgian 



72 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Bay, Lake Superior, Lake Ontario and intermediate 
points, with merchandise-carrying craft in all direc- 
tions reached on the great lakes. 

After the construction of these coal roads and 
the junction at this point by the roads and the lake 
traffic of the coal and iron, began the later rapid 
growth of the manufacturing industry of the city, 
as well as in other respects its commercial import- 
ance. 



CHAPTER IX 

Early Banks and Industries 

In connection with the boundary question be- 
tween Michigan and Ohio it is interesting to note 
that the first bank in the territory now Toledo was 
"The Bank of Manhattan," organized under a spe- 
cial charter granted by the "Michigan State Legis- 
lature," March 25, 1836. The Supreme Court of Ohio 
decided that this bank never had any legal existence 
because, first, the charter was obtained from a body 
calling itself "The Legislature of the State, of Michi- 
gan," whereas there was no State of Michigan until 
January, 1837; and second, Manhattan never was 
under the jurisdiction of Michigan. 

But the bank did business for some years and 
in 1840 its balance sheet showed total assets, $122,- 
052.71; liabilities: capital stock paid in, $50,000; cir- 
culation, $57,381; interest, $951.41; deposits, $13,034. 

Prentiss & Dow started a private bank in 1843 
on the corner of Monroe and Summit Streets. It 
was not chartered and was not long continued. 

A certificate was filed in the recorder's office, 
October 8, 1845, being a copy of the charter of "The 
Commercial Bank of Toledo, under the act of 1845 
incorporating the State Bank of Ohio and other 
banking companies as branches." The capital stock 
of the Commercial Bank was $100,000. A similar 
certificate of "The Bank of Toledo" was filed in the 
recorder's office October 8, 1845, and its capital stock 
was $100,000. These were both ; branches of the 
State Bank of Ohio. 

In December, 1846, Kraus & Co., "money brok- 



74 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

ers," opened an office corner Monroe and Summit 
Streets, later moved to Jefferson and Summit, and 
later William Kraus and William H. Smith succeeded 
as owners of "The City Bank," another private bank 
of which George C. Hertzler was cashier, and did 
business thereafter as Kraus & Smith (or City Bank), 
until 1873, when they failed. 

In 1855 Berry & Day opened "The Mechanics* 
Bank," which lasted for several years. 

In 1851 John Poag and Valentine H. Ketcham 
opened a bank under the name of Poag & Ketcham, 
later V. H. Ketcham & Co., and in 1869 Ketcham, 
Berdan & Co., which is now the First National Bank 
of Toledo. Mr. Ketcham was its president until his 
death, May 20, 1887. 

The Bank of Toledo above mentioned after- 
wards became the Toledo National Bank. In 1855 
it was purchased by a number of gentlemen of Cleve- 
land, with Samuel M. Young and Morrison R. Waite 
of Toledo, and in November, 1864, it went under the 
national banking act. Mr. Young was its president 
under both organizations for some 35 years. 

In 1860 Mr. Parmalee started a bank under the 
name of The Marine Bank of Ohio, with George W. 
Davis as president. It is now the Second National 
Bank of Toledo. Mr. Davis was its president until 
his death. 



EARLY INDUSTRIES.— The first bricks made 
in Toledo were made by Peter H. Shaw and E. Bab- 
cock. Babcock had a contract with the proprietors 
of the town for 1,500,000 brick, which he did not 
complete because of his death. Edward Bissell built 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 75 

a sawmill on Summit Street between Elm and Chest- 
nut, 1834. In 1835 Prentice built a sawmill on the 
East Side near what is now the end of the Cherry 
Street bridge. The first foundry in Toledo was built 
where the present Lagrange Street school is located. 
In 1838 a mill for grinding grain was at the foot of 
Elm Street and in March, 1839, the first grist of thir- 
ty-two bushels of wheat was satisfactorily ground in 
fifty-five minutes. The same engine was used when 
not grinding wheat for running the sawmill adjoin- 
ing. These mills passed in later years into the hands 
of William H. Raymond, who operated them until 
they were burned. In 1851 Wason & Co. com- 
menced making cars, by assembling the parts which 
they purchased elsewhere. Field & Wilmington in 
1853 started the first car works for entire manufac- 
ture of cars. The business was later acquired by the 
Toledo Car Works and continued until 1872, when 
the operation ceased. In 1851, Calvin Bronson came 
to Toledo and established the Bronson Tobacco 
Works. In 1865 he paid the government $750,322 
as the government tax on his manufactured product. 
His first factory was at the foot of Lagrange on Wa- 
ter Street, and later he located between Madison and 
Jefferson Streets, where he built a block five stories 
high, 80 feet front, and running through to Water 
Street, which is still there. 

The Toledo Gas Light & Coke Company was 
organized in 1853, and its works constructed in 1854. 
These were the earliest manufacturing industries in 
the city. 



EARLY HOTELS.— The old warehouse, built 



76 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

in 1817, was for fifteen years the only place for any 
entertainment in Toledo. Baldwin, who com- 
menced to occupy it in 1823 without announcing it 
as a hotel, provided accommodation for such travel- 
ers as made this a temporary stopping place. In 1828 
his son, John, put up a sign on it, "Tavern, by John 
Baldwin," but abandoned it after a couple of years, 
and turned it into a store. 

In 1835 the Port Lawrence proprietors set apart 
lots 109, 110, 111, 119, 120, 121, 162, 163 and 215 for 
a hotel, and in 1836, at a meeting of the proprietors, 
Edward Bissell and Isaac S. Smith, a committee ap- 
pointed for that purpose, reported a plan for the 
hotel which was approved. This property was on 
the corner of Adams and Summit Streets and ex- 
tended to the river. They include the buildings 
where the Thompson-Hudson store now is. Water 
Street not then being made. The hotel was never 
built. 

The Eagle Tavern, on Summit Street near Elm, 
was opened in 1834. Next was the Mansion House, 
Summit Street, east of Locust, a small frame build- 
ing; next the National Hotel, north side of Summit, 
near Adams. The Mansion House was headquarters 
during the Toledo war, and was the place where the 
Monroe constable was stabbed by Two Stickney, 
previously related. 

The American Hotel, corner of Summit and 
Elm, built in 1836, was destroyed by fire in 1861. 
The Toledo House, corner of Summit and Perry, 
was built prior to 1836, enlarged in 1842 and renamed 
the Indiana House. In 1847, corner of St. Clair and 
Jefferson, first called Thayer's Exchange, afterwards 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 77 

the Collins House, burned about 1860. In 1847 the 
Ohio House, Summit near Cherry on the river side, 
afterwards called the Kingsbury House. In 1855 the 
Island House, on the middle ground, built by the 
railroad company. In 1853 the Oliver House was 
planned, but not completed until 1859. In 1869 the 
Boody House was planned and completed in 1872. 



EARLY BUILDINGS.— In 1836 W. J. Daniels 
& Co. occupied a frame building adjoining the To- 
ledo House, with a store of general merchandise. 
Nearly opposite and between Monroe and Perry was 
the store of A. Palmer & Co., and the old store build- 
ing remained there until 1860. Three stores in a 
building of brick, three stories high, were built on 
the corner of Monroe and Summit Streets by the 
firm of Daniels & Goetel. They had been doing 
business in a frame structure on the corner of Perry 
and Swan Streets, but in 1836-7 moved into this brick 
structure. This was the first brick structure. The 
postoffice, elsewhere mentioned, between Adams 
and Oak Streets on Summit, was of brick and was 
the only building in the vicinity and for some years 
after. 

On Cherry Street near Summit (now occupied 
by the Clark block), Smith & Macy of Buffalo, else- 
where mentioned, built a two-story frame building 
in 1836, which was for many years used as a board- 
ing house, and was the social center of Toledo. 
Many prominent citizens boarded there. Many 
weddings took place there. In 1874 Clark took 
down the old frame building and erected the present 
brick structure, and many residents of Toledo now 



78 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

will remember the festivities that for many years 
thereafter took place in the new Clark block, contin- 
uing its reputation as a social center. This building 
is now standing on Cherry Street, adjoining the 
Daniels building on the corner of Summit and 
Cherry. 

Eighteen hundred and fifty-two was an unusual 
year for Toledo in a material sense, notwithstanding 
the cholera scourge. It was an unusual year in the 
building of business blocks. In that year the Mor- 
ris block, then so called, on the corner of Jefferson 
and Summit, about eighty feet front and four stories 
high, was commenced. Thomas Daniels built a 
store on the corner of Cherry and Summit Streets 
that year, and J. F. Schuerman the brick store ad- 
joining the Daniels store on the north. Latimer & 
Andrews commenced work on the Blade building, 
adjoining the present site of the First National Bank. 
Mathew Johnson built the bank building afterwards, 
for many years occupied by the old Toledo National 
Bank; C. B. Phillips a brick store a few doors below; 
Judge Miller, of Mount Vernon, another brick build- 
ing adjoining. These, with the Poag block, corner 
of Summit and Madison, where the Waldorf Hotel 
now is, built a year or two earlier, were all on the 
east side of Summit Street between Jefferson and 
Adams, then and for some years afterwards sup- 
posed to be the valuable side of the street. A. B. 
Waite built a store the same year on Summit near 
Monroe, and James C. Hall two stores near by. 
There were no substantial buildings on the west side 
of Summit Street between Monroe and Adams 
Streets. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 79 

EARLY CHURCHES.— It is related, and with 
undoubted accuracy, that in 1802 a Rev. Dr. Bacon, 
under the auspices of the Connecticut Missionary 
Society, during a trip to the west, came to the In- 
dians at this point and found them in celebration on 
a beautiful dancing ground, about where Elm Street 
is now located, and after a good deal of parley, got 
a hearing. Mr. Bacon has left a very extended re- 
port of his meetings, his address and the reply of 
Little Otter, the head chief, the most of the chiefs 
being drunk, as he reports, and being discouraged 
he left the grove and went to Mackinaw. 

It is probable that the Methodists are entitled 
to the first place in the early religious services in the 
territory now occupied by Toledo. (See historical 
record of the Monroe Street M. E. Church, by Rev. 
T. N. Barkdull.) We have already mentioned the 
work of Rev. John H. Baughman, and in 1836, the 
Methodists purchased a lot on Huron Street between 
Locust and Walnut and began the erection of a 
church. This was afterwards purchased by the Ger- 
man Methodists. In 1851 the lot was purchased on 
the corner of Madison and Superior, now occupied 
by the new Northern National Bank building. 



FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. — In 
1833 there was organized in Toledo a church which 
was named "The First Presbyterian Church." This 
was the first regular church organization in the ter- 
ritory now included in the territorial limits of To- 
ledo. It had for its elders Samuel I. Keeler, Merriam 
Fox and Sylvester Brown. Prior to this, however, 
religious services were held by both Methodists and 



80 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Presbyterians and about 1832 Rev. Elnathan C. Gavit 
preached the first sermon in the territory above men- 
tioned of which we have any record (not including 
early missionary work with the Indians). 

In the winter of 1832-3 a few persons desiring to 
have religious worship met on Sundays at the resi- 
dence of Samuel I. Keeler, on the Adams Street r«ad, 
so called, and Rev. Mr. Warriner of Monroe, Mich., 
was asked to come and organize a church. He came 
and the congregation met at the residence of Mr. 
Keeler and a church was formed of seven members, 
viz: Samuel I. Keeler and wife, Merriam Fox and 
wife, Sylvester Brown, Hiram Brown and George 
Bennett. Sabbath School was held at the residence 
of C. G. Shaw, near the corner of Adams and Sum- 
mit Streets, about half way between Port Lawrence 
and Vistula, and known as "Middletown House." 
These were the people who organized the first 
church mentioned above. 

In the winter of 1834-5, Rev. Mr. Worthington 
was engaged to preach every alternate Sunday at the 
residence of George Bennett, on the river side of 
Summit Street between Monroe and Perry Streets, 
in the morning, with evening meetings at the resi- 
dence of Mr. Lathrop, corner of Summit and La- 
grange Streets, thus dividing the services between 
upper and lower town, which will be explained later. 

In 1841 the church, under M. Haswell's ministry, 
changed its form of government to Congregational. 
The first minister of the church regularly serving was 
Rev. Warren Isham. He was succeeded by Rev. 
Isaac Flager, and Rev. George R. Haswell was its 
third minister. The fourth minister was Rev. Mr. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 81 

Lawrence, who was in charge until the incorpora- 
tion of the church in 1844. During Mr. Lawrence's 
ministry a portion of the church members, with Mr. 
Lawrence himself, returned to the Presbyterian form 
of government, and for a while there were two dis- 
tinct bodies, until July, 1844, when they reunited 
and formed the First Congregational Church and 
incorporated as such under the laws of the state. 

In September, 1844, Rev. Wm. H. Beecher was 
chosen pastor and, although never installed, acted 
until 1847, when Rev. Anson Smythe became pastor 
and continued as such until January, 1850. 

The first church building erected in Toledo was 
on the corner of Cherry and Superior Streets and 
was occupied by the First Church. The money to 
build this church was furnished mainly by Heman 
Walbridge and Edward Bissell. This building was 
never owned by the church. It was dedicated on 
May 3, 1838, while Rev. Isaac Flager was minister. 
The dedication sermon was delivered by Rev. C. D. 
Bloodgood of Tecumseh, Mich. 

Under financial difficulties and distress this 
church property was sold by the sheriff and passed 
into the possession and ownership of the CathoHcs. 
On the lot on which it stood stands now the St. Fran- 
cis de Sales Cathedral, and the old wooden church 
structure was moved to the lot on Superior Street 
and is now the school building fronting on Superior 
Street in the rear of the cathedral. 

Rev. Samuel Wright became the pastor of the 
church in July, 1851, and served about one year, 
when, during the awful cholera season of the 1852, 
by constant exposure and heroic attendance upon 



82 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

the sick with that disease, he became its victim and 
died from it. After his death Mr. Smythe suppHed 
the pulpit for about six months. 

In 1853 Rev. William W. Williams of Camillas, 
N. Y., was called and on September 1, 1853, entered 
upon the pastorate. 



EPISCOPAL.~At the court room in Port Law- 
rence, on April 22, 1837, a Rev. Mr. Lyster held the 
first Protestant Episcopal service at Toledo that we 
have any record of, and in 1838 there was an Epis- 
copal organization in Manhattan. In May, 1840, 
Bishop McWaine visited Toledo and held Episcopal 
service in the church on the corner of Cherry and 
Superior Streets, then, as already stated, the church 
of the Presbyterians (afterwards Congregationahsts). 
Regular services were thereafter held in a building 
on Summit Street between Cherry and Walnut 
Streets. In 1842 an association was formed under 
the name and title of "Parish of Trinity Church in 
the township of Toledo, county of Lucas and state 
of Ohio," and "adopted the constitution and canons 
of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the diocese 
of Ohio," etc. 

Later the church became incorporated and in 
1844 began the erection of a church which was com- 
pleted in 1845, on the same lot on which now stands 
the beautiful Trinity Church, corner of Adams and 
St. Clair Streets. 



PRESBYTERIAN.— As already shown, the first 
church building was occupied by Presbyterians, af- 
terwards changed to Congregational. In 1854 steps 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 83 

were taken to organize a Presbyterian church, and 
in 1855 it was organized and held services in what 
was known as the Bethel on Vine Street. In 1865 
the lot on the corner of Huron and Orange Streets 
was purchased and the present structure built there- 
on. Westminster Church was organized in 1865, 
and built the church on the corner of Superior and 
Locust Street. 



BAPTIST.— The first Baptist church was or- 
ganized in 1853 and in 1854 the lot on Huron Street 
near Cherry was purchased, and the building erected 
thereon was dedicated December 9, 1855. 



LUTHERAN.— In 1845 Salem Church was or- 
ganized and built on Huron Street between Elm 
and Chestnut; St. Paul's in 1854, with building on 
Erie, between Adams and Oak. 



CATHOLIC. — Rev. Amadeus Rappe came to 
Toledo in 1841 and with a parish limits extended 
from Toledo to the Indiana state line and as far 
south as Allen county — he had no church building 
for many years — was a missionary in every sense, 
but finally his parishioners here bought the church 
building corner of Superior and Cherry Streets, for- 
merly occupied by the Congregationalists, and the 
name of the church and parish was "St. Francis de 
Sales." In January, 1847, the City Council voted 
Father Rappe fifty dollars for ringing the bell three 
times a day during the year 1846. In 1847 he was 
made bishop of the diocese of Cleveland. 

It is not possible, within the purpose of this nar- 



84 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

rative, to give any account of the modern work of 
any of these reHgious denominations. That must be 
accepted as an excuse for not mentioning the many 
strong church organizations with their beautiful 
temples now existing here. 



CHAPTER X 
Schools, Library and City Officials 

In the little schoolhouse used as the first court- 
house, Miss Wright taught school in 1835. We be- 
lieve that to be the first in the Port Lawrence ter- 
ritory. 

October 1, 1838, Charles W. Hill, then city clerk, 
gave notice of an election to determine the ques- 
tion of leasing, erecting or purchasing a lot or lots, 
and leasing, purchasing or erecting school buildings, 
and how much money would be appropriated for 
that purpose. 

We can find no record of the vote or its result. 
In 1837 the Council provided for school directors. 
The first district was that part of the city east of Lo- 
cust Street; second district between Locust and 
Adams Streets, and the third district all west of 
Adams Street. Changing Adams Street to Madison 
and the three wards of the city were the same. 
What schools were provided is very indefinite. Tui- 
tion was in those days paid by the scholars or their 
parents. The teachers received nothing from the 
city but were paid entirely out of the tuition taxes. 
The city furnished only the buildings, or rooms and 
fuel. 

Schools were opened and operated from time to 
time, by private teachers. In 1841 Miss M. Howlett, 
corner Superior and Lagrange; the same year, by 
Thomas Dunlap at the same place; in 1843 by 
Charles Dodge, corner Summit and Cherry, and in 
1844 in the same building a Miss Jenks, a school for 
girls; by Levi S. Lounsbury, corner Summit and 



86 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Monroe, a day and night school. There were no 
doubt others, and there were three buildings, such 
as they were, furnished by the city. The General 
Assembly in 1848 passed an act extending what was 
called the Akron school system to Toledo, provided 
the people voted to accept it. An election was held 
in May, 1849, by the qualified voters and the provi- 
sions of the act were accepted. Rev. Anson Smythe, 
then pastor of the First Congregational Church, was 
elected superintendent. He resigned his church 
connection and entered upon the duties of perfect- 
ing a school system. He remained until February, 
1856, when he took his place as state superintend- 
ent, to which he had been chosen. 

The Toledo Blade in 1852 in an editorial said: 

"We doubt if any schools in the state were in a 
worse condition than ours when Rev. Anson Smythe 
took charge of them, and we confidently challenge 
any superintendent in Ohio to make an exhibition 
of schools now in better condition." 

At the time of opening the new system in 1849, 
and for several years thereafter, school was held in 
the basement of the First Congregational Church on 
St. Clair Street, between Madison and Jefferson, 
taught by Miss Fannie M. Deyo; later in the build- 
ing erected on Superior Street between Madison 
and Jefferson Streets, near the present Northern 
National Bank building. 

During the same period the High and Grammar 
schools occupied a two-story frame building on 
Summit Street, nearly opposite Neuhausels' new 
building. Then the Grammar department was moved 
to a frame building on Superior Street between Ad- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 87 

ams and Oak, and finally both departments moved 
into the new High School building completed in 
1853-54, without the wings afterwards added. The 
first graduates from the High school were W. H. H. 
Smith, Olive Parmelee and Amos W. Crane, in 1857. 

The Lagrange Street school, built in 1852, was 
the first important school building. Both of these 
buildings were erected while Rev. Smythe was su- 
perintendent. 

The successor of Mr. Smythe as superintendent 
was John Eaton, who acted until 1859. He was suc- 
ceeded by Moses T. Brown, who acted until April, 
1864, when Daniel F. DeWolf was chosen as his suc- 
cessor, who served until 1876, and was succeeded by 
Almon A. McDonald, 1876 to 1880. John W. Dowd, 
who served six years. 

To Anson Smythe and Charles W. Hill is due 
the gratitude of the city for their work in behalf of 
the public schools. Mr. Hill was a member of the 
Board of Education continually from 1850 for fif- 
teen years and he made its success the great hobby 
of his life. Some fitting memorial is due to Gen- 
eral Hill. 

After Mr. Dowd came the following Superin- 
tendents: Harvey W.N Compton, term, June 14, 
1886, to May 3, 1897; A. A. MacDonald, May 3, 1897, 
to Jan. 28, 1898; C. G. Ballou, Supt. of High Schools 
—Jan. 31, 1898, to May 31, 1898; J. L Ward, Supt. of 
Ward Schools. Jan. 31, 1898, to May 31, 1898; W. W. 
Chalmers, May 31, 1898, to March 6, 1905; H. J. 
Eberth, Acting Supt. from March 6, 1905 — Appoint- 
ed, May 17, 1905, to July 1, 1907; C. L. Van Cleve, 
July 1, 1907, to Sept. 26, 1909; Dr. William B. Guit- 



88 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

teau, Oct. 18, 1909, who now ably is at the helm. 
Miss Lillian 1. Donat has been clerk of the board of 
education since 1906, and treasurer of the board 
since January, 1912. 



PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS.— The advent of the 
parochial schools of Toledo is in the main of a 
period later than the limits of this narrative. Rev. 
Amadeus Rappe, elsewhere mentioned, as soon as 
he secured the the building on the corner of Cherry 
and Superior Streets, started a school there, and ex- 
cept the temporary suspension during the cholera 
seasons of the early '50's, it has always been main- 
tained and has always had a high character of teach- 
ers and a high standard of moral and scholarship 
training. The subsequent introduction of parochial 
schools, as already stated, is of a more modern 
period. It needs only to be added that, in common 
with the whole people of Toledo, the school system, 
public and parochial, has been a subject of interest 
and pride. 



THE ORIGIN OF THE PRESENT PUBLIC 
LIBRARY.— In December, 1838, there was organ- 
ized in Toledo "The Toledo Young Men's Associa- 
tion," under a charter granted by the Legislature of 
Ohio, the declared object being to establish "a ly- 
ceum and public library in Toledo." The constitu- 
tion had on it the signatures of sixty-six men, most 
of them prominent in the future growth of the city, 
although none of them are now living. In 1845 it 
had 500 volumes in its library with ten periodicals 
subscribed for. The dues were two dollars a year. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 89 

and a committee consisting of William Baker, Dr. 
Calvin Smith and Charles L Scott reported it in 
good condition. In 1847 it attempted to create pub- 
lic sentiment in favor of draining Mud creek, else- 
where herein mentioned, by having public debates 
on the subject. On October 3, 1864, at the annual 
election for officers and trustees, a surprise was 
sprung on the members who has been active in its 
work. A friendly contest was being had between 
A. W. Gleason and Richard Waite for president. 
Shortly before the polls closed a large number of 
men came from the McClellan Club rooms, to whom 
membership tickets had been issued by the treas- 
urer, and voted on an independent ticket, made up 
entirely of Democrats. As this occurred during the 
presidential campaign and shortly before the elec- 
tion, it was one of the political moves of the cam- 
paign. It will be remembered that the presidential 
contest that year was between Abraham Lincoln and 
George B. McClellan, and during the closing year 
of the War of the Rebellion. It was a bitter and 
acrimonious contest, and the attempt to make the 
association an aid to the McClellan campaign was 
bitterly resented, and as politics had never before 
entered into the affairs of the association in any 
way, substantially all of the 163 members immedi- 
ately resigned and organized a new association 
known as the Toledo Library Association, rented 
rooms on the second floor of the building on the 
corner of Summit and Madison, and proceeded to 
start a new library, and make engagements for the 
lecture course for the coming winter. 

The writer had been chairman of the lecture 



90 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

committee of the old association and during the 
summer of 1864 he made engagements for the win- 
ter with the lecturers, which he transferred to the 
new association. The new association elected Chas. 
A. King, president; Richard Waite, vice-president; 
William E. Fish, secretary; Charles H. Eddy, treas- 
urer, and as directors, John Sinclair, John H. Doyle, 
L. F. Hubbard, James H. Maples, R. A. Wason, 
Charles B. Roff and F. B. Dodge. Several of these 
continued in office during the life of the association. 

After a year's effort to run the old association it 
was proposed to turn it over with its library and 
effects to the new, which was accepted and in 1867 
the new association issued the first catalogue of its 
books. It had 4,600 volumes in the library and a 
membership of over 500. 

In 1873 it transferred all of its property to the 
Public Library, after the General Assembly had 
passed the necessary legislation authorizing the City 
Council to establish a library, and the necessary ac- 
tion by the Council, when the association turned 
over to the Public Library 4,878 volumes, a number 
of engravings, maps, etc., two lots or Forrer Street 
and $105 in cash. 



PREJUDICE.— What at this date would seem 
to be impossible? Evidence of the condition of an 
existing prejudice as late as 1863 is found in the fact 
that in the fall of that year the writer, as chairman 
of the lecture committee, among the engagements 
made by him for the following winter was that with 
Wendell Phillips. On reporting to the trustees of 
the association the names of the season's lecturers, 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 91 

they refused to confirm the engagement with Phil- 
lips and later absolutely declined to approve an en- 
gagement with Anne E. Dickinson — Miss Dickin- 
son's because they did not approve of women lec- 
turers, Mr. Phillips' because they feared giving of- 
fense by engaging so radical an aboHtionist. The 
writer declined to cancel his engagements with 
these two, and in connection with A. W. Gleason, 
gave the lectures as individuals, and not under the 
association's asuspices. The audiences were the 
largest of the season. 



AMUSEMENT HALLS. — In the early '50's 
Morris' Hall was in the third story of the block on 
the corner of Jefferson and Summit Streets, with 
an outside stairway leading to the second story, and 
Stickney Hall on Summit Street, below what was 
then Oak Street (Jackson Avenue), the latter built 
mainly of brick taken from the old Stickney resi- 
dence when it was torn down, and these were 
the places where minstrel and theatrical perform- 
ances were had, until White's Hall was built on the 
site of the present Neuhausel store. 



MAYORS. — It will be impossible to give a list 
of the officers of the city from its organization, but 
the following is a list of its mayors: 

1837, John Berdan; 1838, John Berdan; 1839. 
Hez D. Mason; 1840-1-2-3, Myron H. Tilden; 1844, 
George B. Way; 1845-6, Richard Mott; 1847-8, 
Emery D. Potter; 1849, Daniel 0. Morton; 1850, 
Caleb F. Abbott; 1851, Charles M. Dorr; 1852, Dan- 
iel McBain, Egbert B. Brown, Ira L. Clark and Mr. 



92 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Brigham; 1853-4-5-6, Charles M. Dorr; 1857-8-9-60-61, 
Alex. B. Brownlee (Brownlee resigned in '61 and 
Alex. H. Newcomb filled the vacancy) ; 1862, Alex. 
H. Newcomb; 1864-5-6, Charles M. Dorr; 1867-8, 
Charles A. King; 1869-70, William Krauss; 1871-2- 
3-4, William W. Jones; 1875-6, Guido Marx; 1877-8, 
William W. Jones; 1879-80-1-2-3-4, Jacob Romeis; 
1885-6, Samuel F. Forbes; 1887-8, J. Kent Hamilton; 
1891, V. J. Emmick; 1893, Guy G. Major; 1897 to 
1904, Samuel M. Jones; 1904, Robert H. Finch; 1905, 
Brand Whitlock; 1913, Carl H. Keller; 1916, Charles 
M. Milroy; 1918, Cornell Schreiber. 

In 1852 Morrison R. Waite, afterwards Chief 
Justice of the United States, was a member of the 
Toledo City Council from the then Fourth Ward. 



THE EARLY PRESS. — James Irvine Brown 
started the first paper, as elsewhere related, the To- 
ledo Herald. It was revived under the name of the 
Toldo Gazette. This was in 1834-5. It collapsed in 
1837, and in 1836 the Blade was started, published 
as a weekly until 1846, when it became a tri-weekly, 
and in 1848, April 17, it published the first issue of 
the Daily Blade, and it has published a daily ever 
since. 

The Toledo Reporter appeared in 1841, started 
as a Democratic paper. In 1843 its name was 
changed to the Toledo Herald. In May, 1844, it 
suspended and a job printing establishment took 
its place. 

Gazette No. 2 appeared in 1844, but was short 
lived. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 93 

In March, 1849, appeared the Toledo Commer- 
cial-RepubHcan, daily and weekly. 

In 1880 its name was changed to the Toledo 
Telegram and in 1883 changed back to the Commer- 
cial and its legitimate successor is now the Toledo 
Times. 



STREET RAILWAYS. — While these are of 
later date than the limits of this history, a few facts 
are given. 

The first street railway company was organized 
November 20, 1860, and was called the Toledo 
Street Railroad Company. Its directors were M. R. 
Waite, C. B. Phillips, William H. Raymond, William 
Baker, James C. Hall and John T. Newton of To- 
ledo, and Silas Merchant of Cleveland. On Febru- 
ary 11, 1861, it received a grant from the City Coun- 
cil to build and operate a line on Summit Street 
from the boundary line of Manhattan to Perry 
Street, across the bridge and up Ottawa and Broad- 
way to the bridge of the M. L. & M. S. Ry. Co. 

The Adams Street Railway Company was or- 
ganized in April, 1869, and built from Summit to 
Bancroft on Adams, extended along CoUingwood to 
the junction with Cherry in 1873. 

The Monroe Street Railway Company was or- 
ganized in January, 1873, for a railroad from Sum- 
mit Street to Auburn Avenue. 

The Toledo Union Street Railroad Company 
organized in 1869 for a line from Summit along 
Monroe, Ontario, Washington and Dorr Streets to 
Detroit Avenue. This company and its track, etc., 



94 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

were taken over by the Monroe & Dorr Street Com- 
pany, organized in 1875. 

The Metropolitan Street Railway Company or- 
ganized in May, 1872, its line on Lagrange Street 
from Summit Street to Manhattan Road. 

The Toledo Central Passenger Railroad in 1875, 
from North Toledo on Summit to city line, Erie to 
Cherry and Summit; in 1879 on Superior from Cher- 
ry to Monroe, Monroe to Erie, Division, Nebraska 
Avenue to City Park, and later on Field and West- 
ern Avenues. 



POST ROUTES.— In 1839 certain post routes 
were established with Toledo as the starting point 
and contracts made as follows: 

1. Toledo, via Manhattan, Erie, Monroe, to De- 
troit, in four-horse post coaches. 

2. Toledo, via Defiance, Adrian and Rome, to 
Jonesville, 67 miles, in railroad cars to Adrian and 
four-horse coaches the rest of the way. 

3. Toledo, via Maumee, Perrysburg, Lower San- 
dusky, Bellevue, Norwalk, Milan, Elyria, Ohio City,, 
to Cleveland, daily in four-horse coaches. 

4. Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo, 
Monroe and Detroit, daily by steamboats. These 
were maintained until the railroads dispossessed 
them. 



CHAPTER XI 
Incidents 

A few scattering facts are given without much 
connection or detail: 

On February 24, 1838, a report was made to 
the City Council of the total receipts and expendi- 
tures of the city for the preceding ten and a half 
months, showing receipts, $1,889.93, and total ex- 
penditures, $414.73, leaving a balance in the treas- 
ury of $1,475.20. 



POLITICS.— The first election in Toledo under 
its charter was hotly contested between Uppertown 
(Port Lawrence) and Lowertown (Vistula), Lower- 
town being successful in the election of John Berdan 
for mayor. In 1837 the question of moving the court- 
house to Maumee was the dominant question in the 
county, and Toledo was very much excited over it. 
On June 11, 1840, General Harrison, then a candi- 
date for president, attended a great meeting at Fort 
Meigs and the next day visited Toledo and held a 
reception at the American House. 



GAME.— Judge E. D. Potter came to Toledo in 
1835 and in an address in March, 1889, said that he 
had killed deer in every ward in the city of Toledo. 
The oak ridge where the old High School stands 
was a favorite resort for them as it sloped down to 
the waters of Mud creek. Another was the "Nose," 
the point where the Oliver House now stands. Prai- 
rie chicken, patridge, quail, woodcock and snipe 
were abundant in what is now the business section 



96 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

of the city. A panther was killed on the east side 
of the river in 1832. 



MERCHANDISE.— One of the advertisements 
in 1835, of A. Palmer & Co., showed the range of 
merchandise in one store. It reads: "Dry goods, 
groceries, hardware, glassware, china, stoneware, tin 
and Japanned ware, boots and shoes, guns, flints, 
percussion caps, nails, window glass, house trim- 
mings, cow and ox bells, carpenters' tools, liquors 
and wines, tobacco, cigars, 'dipt candles,' patent 
medicines, clothing, &c., &c." 



1846 THE BANNER YEAR. — In the Toledo 
Blade of February 6, 1846, it was stated that Toledo 
had twelve warehouses, two and three stories high, 
and two more being built; five churches had been 
built for Congregational, Episcopal, Catholic, Meth- 
odist and German Reformed Societies. There were 
schools in the three school districts; a female select 
school, taught by Miss Jenks, and a select school for 
both sexes, "under an experienced teacher." The 
population was given at 2100 on January 1. A year 
later the Blade claimed a population of nearly 3,000. 
The principal canal traffic with Cincinnati was by 
the Doyle & Dickey line of packets which advertised 
to make daily trips through in 60 hours. In 1846 was 
the banner year for the number of buildings erected, 
up to that time. 



AN UNDERESTIMATE.— In April, 1839, the 
city council authorized the street commissioner to 
take immediate measures to fill up, drain or other- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 97 

wise improve the low and marshy grounds in the 
city provided the expense thereof did not exceed 
$500. It is estimated now that the sewers and grad- 
ing and work necessary to accompHsh this has cost in 
the neighborhood of $2,500,000. 



ABSENCE OF BIOGRAPHY.— An attempt was 
made to give some account of the Hves of the men 
most instrumental in the early growth of the city. It 
was found to be impracticable. It would lengthen 
the narrative beyond its original scope. It would 
necessarily result in favoritism and discrimination. 
It was deemed best to omit all biographical and obit- 
uary notices. To confine all personal mention to 
those who were connected with the laying out of the 
town and the earliest settlers. This is less to be re- 
gretted here because it has been so thoroughly done 
in Clark Waggoner's history of Lucas county to 
which access is readily had. 



THE PROFESSIONS.— A comprehensive chap- 
ter on the judiciary, including the bench and bar, 
prepared by the writer and contained in Mr. Wag- 
goner's history, with a number of personal biogra- 
phies of lawyers and judges was brought down to the 
year 1888. A similar chapter on the medical profes- 
sion prepared by Doctors Chapman and Rowsey, is 
found in the same book. It is not the purpose of this 
narrative to include matters so easily reached, nor 
those events, not intimately connected with the 
early history of the city — its birth and infancy. Its 
magnificent manhood will be splendid theme for the 
future in the hands of some competent and enthusi- 
astic citizen. 



98 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

CEMETERIES.— It will probably be a great 
surprise to people living in the vicinity to learn that 
the first cemetery in Toledo was near the crossing of 
Madison and Seventeenth streets, where about two 
acres were set apart for that purpose by Dexter Fish- 
er, in the year 1830 and abandoned about 1840. Next 
a small piece of ground at the crossing of Lagrange 
and Bancroft streets, abandoned in 1838. Then the 
proprietors of Port Lawrence set apart a lot on the 
corner of Lenk (City Park avenue) and Dorr streets, 
for burial purposes in 1838, which the city accepted 
and passed resolution for fencing and dividing it into 
lots, but it was later sold for taxes and passed into 
private ownership and devoted to the residence pur- 
poses for the living. In 1839 eight acres were pur- 
chased from B. F. Stickney, whereon Forest ceme- 
tery was started, and is now located, many additions 
having been, from time to time, added. 



TOWNSHIP VALUATION AND RATE OF 
TAXATION.— In 1837 the total valuation of proper- 
ty in Port Lawrence township for taxation was $484,- 
307, of which $315,659 was on town lots and the tax 
levy fixed by the county and state for each $100 was 
as follows : 

State and canal purposes, 32>4 cents; county 
and school purposes, 50 cents; road purposes, 30 
cents; township purposes, 10 cents. 

Sanford L. Collins was treasurer of the county. 

In 1838 the number of lots in Port Lawrence and 
Vistula divisions of Toledo still taxed in the names 
of the proprietors were in the main as follows: 

Port Lawrence: Edward Bissell, 40; Frederick 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 99 

Bissell, 30; Charles Butler, 70; Stephen B. Comstock, 
30; William Oliver, 45; Smith & Macy, 10. 

Vistula: Edward Bissell, 330; Frederick Bissell, 
35; Charles Butler, 75; Pierre M. Irving, 19; Smith & 
Macy, 80; Benj. F. Stickney, 104. Mr. Irving was a 
nephew of Washington Irving. 



FLOODS.— In 1832 the breaking up of the river 
and the flood washed away the pioneer town of "Or- 
leans of the North," located on the low ground in 
front of Fort Meigs. In 1847, 1849 and 1855, were 
3^ears of flood. That of 1849 carried away the bridge 
at Maumee and the Swan creek bridge at Toledo. 
In 1855 the middle ground and Water street were 
submerged and part of the Cherry street bridge car- 
ried away. 

February 11, 1881, was the most serious in the re- 
sults but the water in the flood of 1883 was the high- 
est. 



THE CHANGES IN THE RESIDENCE SEC- 
TIONS. — Perhaps a brief statement of the residence 
parts of the city and its changes may be interesting. 
In the early '50s, and until the vacant low ground 
between Cherry and Monroe streets began to be oc- 
cupied, the residences were mainly in the vicinity 
of Lagrange street in lower town and Monroe street 
in upper town; then what might be designated as the 
fashionable, or desirable residence district was cent- 
ered around Madison, St. Clair and Superior streets. 
William Baker lived where the Boody house now is; 
Daniel 0. Morton opposite where the Fifty Associ- 
ates Building (the former Produce Exchange) is; 



100 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Calvin Baker where the Drummond block (National 
Bank of Commerce) is, and on Superior street be- 
tween Madison and Jefferson, including the corners 
on Jefferson, were what were considered the best 
residences in the city, occupied among others by 
Matthew Shoemaker, John Cummings, Robert Cum- 
mings, John B. Ketcham, jr., A. W. Gleason, John 
B. Carson, Frank L King, Perry Crabbs, John E. 
Hunt, James B. Steedman and Governor James My- 
ers. 

Business drove the residence section to the vi- 
cinity of Cherry, Walnut, and Superior between 
Cherry and Elm streets, and fine residences were 
built and occupied by M. D. Carrington, now St. 
John's college; Peter F. Berdan, T. B. Casey (Geo. 
E. Pomeroy's home), John R. Osborn, Joseph K. 
Secor, Frederick Eaton, V. W. Granger, Jesse S. Nor- 
ton and others. Down the river on Summit street 
followed as the most desirable place to live and ele- 
gant residences were built and occupied by Chief 
Justice Waite, Joseph K. Secor, William Baker, S. H. 
Keeler, M. S. Hubbell, Frederic Prentice, Abenr L. 
Backus, Horace S. Walbridge, C. H. Coy, Edward 
Bissell, W. A. Ewing, David Smith, Emery D. Potter, 
John S. Bailey, Charles A. King, C. B. Phillips and 
others. The building of the railroads down Water 
street and the location of the coal docks along the 
river, drove the people away from this section. Mad- 
ison street, for many years, was considered the finest 
residence street in the city, which is now going the 
way of its predecessors and giving way to business. 
Where is it now? I leave the reader to choose be- 
tween the hundreds of answers that will be made to 
that conundrum. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 101 

PLANKING SUMMIT STREET.— June 21, 
1851, the council provided for planking Summit 
street from Jefferson street to Adams street the en- 
tire width and from Adams street to Cherry street 
twenty-four feet wide, but in September, 1851, the 
planking between Madison street and Cherry street 
was indefinitely postponed by resolution. In 1853 
it was decided to pave Summit street with boulders 
from Jefferson street to Cherry street. 



BRIDGES.— In 1823 Joseph Prentice built a 
bridge across Swan creek about where Superior 
street now reaches it. It was carried away by a flood 
in 1836 and as elsewhere stated it was succeeded by 
a ferry. A bridge over Swan creek at Perry street 
was built at an early date, by whom or under what 
authority is not definitely known, but old residents 
speak of it as being there as late as 1835. 

A short digression from the period covered by 
this narrative may be excused. The question of 
bridging the Maumee river has always been the 
source of contest and generally of a bitter and acrim- 
onious character. A company was organized in 
1864 to build a bridge across the river at Cherry 
street; the Board of Trade of the city denounced it 
as dangerous to navigation, embarrassing to com- 
mercial prosperity, especially the depots, elevators, 
warehouses, etc. The railroad companies united in 
opposition as did the several transportation lines by 
water, and many of the prominent business firms. 
The fight was taken up by the newspapers, and final- 
ly the Board of Public Works, having granted per- 
mission the bridge was built and traffic over it began 



102 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

in September, 1855. It was a private enterprise, and 
in 1872 the city passed resolutions for its purchase. 
This precipitated another contest with injunction 
suits and a final compromise which resulted in the 
purchase by the city. The bridge was destroyed by 
the flood of 1882-3, and in 1884 a new bridge was 
built, which was maintained until the present con- 
crete bridge took its place. 

A Horticultural Society was organized at a very 
early date. It had its meetings in Hunker's ice 
cream parlors, which in the early fifties and for 
many years later, was the meeting place for Toledo 
society and all of its entertainments. Among the of- 
ficers of the society in 1850 and 1852 were Jesup W. 
Scott, Thomas M. Cooley, Dr. Ezra Bliss, Thomas 
Dunlap, Charles Perigo, Matthew Johnson, Charles 
W. Hill. It was still in active life until the war of 
the rebellion, when in 1863 it held its last annual 
meeting, that we have any record of. 

The first telegraph line, "The Lake Erie Tele- 
graph Line," opened for business in Toledo, Febru- 
ary 14, 1848, and between that and July 1, 1848, the 
lines were broken or out of order 31 days. 

Although of a later date than is included in 
this chronicle, the first telephone in Toledo was Jan- 
uary 20, 1878, connecting the Western Union Tele- 
graph Company with William Gates ticket office in 
the Boody House. 



MILITARY.— The first military company in the 
city was the Lucas Guards, organized in 1835, in con- 
nection with the impending war with Michigan over 
the boundary question. It ceased to exist after that 
question was settled. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 103 

"The Toledo Guards" was formed in 1838, with 
Charles W. Hill as captain, Coleman Keeler and 
Henry Allen as fifers and Mayor Bryham as drum- 
mer. This company was maintained for many years, 
and after several reorganizations existed at the be- 
ginning of the civil war in 1861. 



CHIEF JUSTICE WAITE AS COUNCILMAN. 
— On August 11, 1852, Councilman M. R. Waite in- 
troduced in the council "An ordinance requiring all 
places in which liquors were sold to be closed on 
Sunday," which was passed unanimously on suspen- 
sion of the rules. Mr. Waite was councilman of the 
Fourth ward. 

What was the vision of the future that brought 
so many men here in the year between 1830 and 
1840 and caused so many minds to center on this 
area of ten miles on the river front? 

In 1837 Benjamin F. Wade, afterwards United 
States senator from Ohio, coming on a steamer from 
Cleveland to Toledo, met a man on his way here to 
sell river tract 6, now a part of the Twelfth ward, 
through which Walbridge avenue runs, and not wait- 
ing to arrive, closed a bargain to purchase the tract 
for $25,000. This tract was granted by the govern- 
ment to one George L. Ford, a captain of a privateer 
vessel in the war of 1812. He was captured by the 
British, imprisoned at Plymouth, England, , for a 
number of years. After his release, he was lost at 
sea while commanding a ship sailing from Philadel- 
phia to Mexico. Wade's deed was from Emmeline 
Ford, the alleged daughter of Geo. L. Forty years 
later, after the tract was platted and sold and hun- 



104 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

dreds of families, with churches and stores and 
homes built on it, the title was attacked by grantees 
of relatives of Ford, on the ground that Emmeline 
was not Ford's daughter; that he was never married, 
and Emmeline was born after Ford had been im- 
prisoned at Plymouth more than a year, and there 
resulted a most romantic and unique litigation, 
which would make an interesting novel, the result 
of which, however, was to confirm the title bought 
by Wade and hence the title of the occupants by 
showing the marriage of Ford and the legitimacy of 
Emmeline. 

Wade had this same vision of the future when 
he made the hasty purchase on the steamboat trip. 
What was it? They were farsighted men. They 
saw a great chain of lakes forming an inland sea with 
over three thousand miles of coast line. By the 
Treaty of Ghent in 1815, between this country and 
Great Britain and its amendment in 1817, this great 
inland sea, with Great Britain's colony on one side 
and the United States on the other, was to be a 
neutral zone, where neither warships or war appli- 
ances were to be maintained, but where peace seem- 
ed likely to be permanent. It was at the head of the 
great inland sea, connected by navigable rivers, that 
this future city was located. They saw that the con- 
templated canals from the west and the south had to 
terminate at some point near the mouth of the Mau- 
mee river to reach the lakes. They saw that the 
time would come when by canal and railroad the 
great products of the surrounding territory would 
have to reach the lake transportation at this point. 
Those things that made cities and drew population 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 105 

in their days, they knew would have to exist here. 
Limited as their vision was, judged from the results 
of the three-quarters of a century since, it was a 
broad vision for its day. The vision broadened as 
the years rolled on, and a prophet came to the land 
when Jesup W. Scott wrote a pamphlet entitled, 
"The Future Great City," in which the limitations 
of vision, at least to him, disappeared. 

The people never lost this vision entirely. They 
kept looking to the east for the rising of the sun of 
prosperity, and while for a long time the sky was 
cloudy and the atmosphere chilly and damp, they 
caught glimpses of it often enough to keep their 
faith, until at last it broke through the clouds and in 
a glorious reward, justified the faith of the pioneers. 

Someone will have the agreeable work of sup- 
plementing this narrative of the pioneer days and 
their hardships by giving an account of the magnifi- 
cent and beautiful city as well as the great com- 
mercial city, the dreams of the pioneers, now being 
fulfilled, but with a future more full of promise. 



CHAPTER 12. 

MOUND BUILDERS. TURKEY FOOT 
ROCK & ETC. 

INCIDENTS, NOTES AND LATER HIS- 
TORY. — In Judge Doyle's historical manuscript re- 
corded in the foregoing pages he states his purpose 
is to produce in one document the most important 
facts in the earliest development of this territory. 
He has left the later matter open to be recorded by 
others and the publishers of the work has taken ad- 
vantage of this privilege to record some more re- 
cent facts of value, as well as to append a few inci- 
dents and notes of earlier times, not touched upon 
by the able paper of Judge Doyle. 



THE MOUND BUILDERS ABOUT TOLEDO. 
Evidence of the work of the Mound Builders with- 
in the environs of Toledo is worthy of more than a 
passing notice. All trace of these earthworks have 
been obliterated, but there were two circular burial 
mounds located on the west side of the Maumee 
river, and a few rods west of where now runs the 
river road towards Maumee and at a point where 
this road intersects West Meyer Street. One mound 
was a few rods south of where said street intersects 
the river road and the other north of West Meyer 
street. Both were examined some years ago under 
the direction of the late Capt. C. W. Everett, and 
two or three skeletons and a few implements were 
found. A third small circular mound was in Ottawa 
park "marked by a clump of trees on the crest of 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 107 

the hill, west of the lower bridge" as located by one 
writer. The fourth and most pretentious mound 
was on the east bank of the Maumee directly south 
of the east end of Fassett street bridge. It was also 
circular in form and rested on the bank of the river. 
It was the only earth works within Toledo or this 
immediate section surveyed by Squire and Davis in 
1848 for the Smithsonian Institute, when they made 
their inspection and surveys of the Ohio pre-historic 
mounds and published in "Ancient Monuments of 
the Mississippi Valleys." It enclosed about three 
acres. Charles Whittlesey in his writing says, the 
bluff here was about 35 feet high and the walls meas- 
uring from the bottom of the ditches were from three 
to four feet high and that in places there was a 
double wall. He also says this was a fort or work of 
defense and, that it was the most western of a cor- 
don of defense works along Lake Erie. Several 
skeletons were excavated in this mound, but were 
thought to be later Indian burials. 



BOUNDARY DISPUTE.— At the time of the 
Ohio-Michigan boundary dispute there were many 
amusing happenings. To definitely establish Ohio's 
jurisdiction over the disputed territory it was decid- 
ed to have a session of court at Toledo. Sept. 7, 
1835 was fixed as the day for the great event and the 
judges were in charge of Col. Van Fleet. They left 
Maumee on horse back at 1 a. m. of that day with 
an escort of 20 men armed with rifles and two cav- 
alry pistols each. The late Hon. W. V. Way in his 
account says they arrived at Toledo about 3 a. m. 
and went to the School House which stood "near 



108 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

where Washington street crosses the canal," and op- 
ened court in due form, of law. Junius Flagg acted 
as sheriff and Horatio Conant clerk. The proceed- 
ings were hastily written and placed in the clerks 
tall hat and after court adjourned they proceeded to 
a tavern kept by Munson J. Daniels near the site of 
the old American House. As the story goes, they 
had just taken a drink at the bar and were filling 
their glasses the second time when some joker called 
out that a strong force of Michiganders were in hot 
pursuit. Spilling their liquor and leaving their bill 
for future adjustment they made a precipitous re- 
treat and did not stop to call the roll until they ar- 
rived at the top of the hill near where the old Oliver 
House stands. It was then found that Conant the 
clerk had run against the limb of a tree with his tall 
hat and spilled his papers, the records of the court. 
It was yet before the break of day and while they 
were afraid of capture, after a hasty consultation 
Col. Van Fleet sent the clerk and two guards back 
to hunt the hat and papers which they finally found 
and bore triumphantly to Maumee. The order of 
the court reads as follows: "The State of Ohio, Lu- 
cas County, ss: At a court of Common Pleas, began 
and held at the court house in Toledo in said county, 
on Monday the 7th day of September, Anno Domini, 
Eighteen hundred and Thirty-five. Present the 
Honorable Jonathan H. Jerome Senior Associate 
Judge of said county, their Honors Baxter Bowman 
and William Wilson Associate Judges. The court 
being opened in due form by the sheriff of said coun- 
ty, Horatio Conant being appointed clerk of said 
court, exhibited his bond, with sureties, accepted by 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 109 

the court agreeably to the statute in such case made 
and provided. The court appointed John Baldwin, 
Robert Gower and Cyrus Holloway, commissioners 
for said county. No further business appearing be- 
fore the court, the court adjourned without delay. 
J. H. Jerome, Associate Judge." 



Benson John Lossing in his "Field Book" of the 
war of 1812 in speaking of his visit to Toledo while 
gathering the material for his work says: "I visited 
the theatre of events just described, (the operations 
about Fort Meigs) on the 2nd of September, 1860, 
and had the singular good fortune to be accompan- 
ied by H. L. Hosmer, Esq. of Toledo, author of the 
Early History of the Maumee Valley and the vener- 
able Peter Navarre, Gen. Harrison's trusty scout. 
Navarre resided about 20 miles from Toledo and had 
come into the city on business two or three days be- 
fore. Mr. Hosmer aware of my intended visit at that 
time had kindly detained him until my arrival. Only 
two days before I had enjoyed a long conversation 
at the "West House,, Sandusky City" with Gen. Les- 
lie Combs, who had just visited Fort Meigs for the 
first time since he was there a soldier and prisoner 
in 1813. That visit had recalled the incidents of the 
campaign most vividly to his mind, and he related 
them to me with his usual enthusiasm and perspicui- 
ty. With the soldiers description in my memory, 
and the historian and scout at my side, I visited Ft. 
Meigs and its historical surroundings under the 
most favorable circumstances. The night of my ar- 
rival at Toledo had been a most tempestuous one — 
wind, lightning, rain, and a sprinkle of hail. The 



110 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

following morning was clear and cool, with a bluster- 
ing wind from the southwest. We left the city for 
our ride to Maumee Valley at nine o'clock in a light 
carriage and a strong team of horses. Mr. Hosmer 
volunteered to be coachman. Our road lay on the 
right side of the river, and when nearly seven miles 
from Toledo we came to the site of Proctor's en- 
campment, on a level plateau a short distance from 
Maumee, upon lands owned, when we visited it, by 
Henry W. Horton. Across a small ravine, a few 
rods further southward were remains of the old Fort 
Miami ****** within the triangular out-works 
* * * He * * he (Navarre) was compelled to run the 
gauntlet for his life." 



The history or legend most prevalent connected 
with Turkey Foot rock on the site of the battle of 
Fallen Timbers on the west bank of the Maumee 
river above Maumee is not exactly according to the 
facts and it is thought proper to here set readers of 
history aright on the subject. Our statement is back- 
ed by the late C. W. Evers one of the best authori- 
ties on early history of the Maumee, who in one of 
his publications says: "There is such a rock as we 
all know, but that there was a 'noted Indian chief 
named Turkey Foot, I deny. I know I am going in 
the face of a long standing legend breaking an idol 
as it were; but it is best that we get our history of 
the long ago correct before it is too late. If any one 
interested, will take the trouble to consult a book 
written perhaps some time in 1830 or possibly earlier 
when the Indians were still here, by T. M. Coffin- 
berry, called the Forest Rangers, they will get the 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 111 

facts, regarding Turkey Foot rock. Mr. Coffinberry 
was a lawyer, lived at Perrysburg, was well educated 
and mingled, out of curiosity perhaps, much with 
the Indians, and knew their habits, customs and his- 
tory quite well. According to his statement, (I give 
the substance rather than his words), the Indian 
killed, at or near the big boulder, August 20, 1794, 
was a sub-chief of the turkey clan of the Wyandott 
tribe, whose totem or coat of arms or monogram was 
the imprint of a turkey's foot. Each tribe is divided 
into more or less clans; the beaver, the muskrat, the 
eagle, the dog, the bear, or any favorite object may 
be adopted as the emblem of a clan. A turkey in 
Wyandott is Massas. This warrior, killed that day 
was evidently popular and beloved of his clan for 
they not only carved the emblem of the clan, a Tur- 
key's footprint on the big boulder, but always, when 
passing that way, some of his kin or clan would stop 
and leave some little tribute of their affection, often- 
er plug tobacco than anything else. Thus it was the 
stone took the name Turkey Foot rock. There was 
no noted chief of that name. No treaty record with 
the Indians bears such a name. No such name is 
mentioned in the many fights before Wayne's bat- 
tle. If he had been a noted warrior, somewhere his 
name would appear. It is just a fiction of some of the 
white men of the later years and with some has 
grown into an honest belief as is the case with many 
other fictions we cling to as truths. There is a turkey 
foot rock. It is a land mark denoting the high tide 
spot of Wayne's battle. Near it a brave of the turkey 
clan was killed. He was popular and his clansmen 
cut the clan emblem, the print of a turkey's foot, on 



112 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

the stone and very naturally it has gone by the name 
Turkey Foot Rock. Its chief importance, however, 
is that it marks the place of one of the great battles 
of the border war period. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 

TOLEDO UNIVERSITY.— The Municipal Uni- 
versity of Toledo, Ohio, was founded in 1872 as the 
Toledo University of Arts and Trades by Jessup W. 
Scott, who bequeathed to the University several 
tracts of land among which was a quarter section ly- 
ing just outside the city limits. In 1884 the Univer- 
sity was established as a Municipal University and 
in 1909 was reorganized, since which time the insti- 
tution has had a steady development and its stu- 
dent enrollment has increased from 200 to over 
1500, annually. The institution is under the con- 
trol of a Board of Directors of nine members, three 
appointed for a term of six years every two years. 
W. H. Tucker is president of the board and J. Gaz- 
zam McKenzie Secretary. A. Monroe Stowe Ph. D., is 
President of the university. The institution consists 
of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Teachers 
College, College of Commerce and Business, Col- 
lege of Industrial Science, College of Law and Col- 
lege of Pharmacy. 



ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY.— This institution, 
under the direction of the Fathers of the Society of 
Jesus, was opened in September, 1898, and incorpor- 
ated May 22, 1900, according to the general law of 
the State of Ohio, under the corporate title of "The 
St. John's College of Toledo, Ohio." On August 29, 
1903, the original charter was amended and the cor- 



114 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

porate title was changed into "The St. John's Uni- 
versity of Toledo, Ohio," with power to grant such 
literary honors and to confer such degrees as are 
usually conferred by similar colleges and institutions 
of learning in the United States. 

The present organization is: Rev. Francis X. 
Busch, S. J. President; Rev. Francis P. Kemper, S. 
J., Vice-President; Rev. William J. Engelen, S. J., 
Secretary; Rev. Augustine Walters, S. J., Treasurer; 
Rev. Peter J. Schnitzler, S. J., was the first president. 
The law department has as its dean Judge John P. 
Manton. 

The purpose of St. John's University in its Un- 
dergraduate Department is to educate in the com- 
pletest sense, that is to develop full and harmonious- 
ly the faculties of the whole man — intellectual, 
moral and physical. It is one of the decided ad- 
vantages of the system followed in the University, 
that the student may begin his studies in the High 
School and then pass on through the College course 
to graduation in the same institution. 



PUBLIC LIBRARY.— The present main library 
building was constructed and occupied in 1890 and 
the fine additional quarters completed in 1916. With 
the five new branch "Carnegie Libraries" lately oc- 
cupied and an equipment of some 140,000 volumes, 
Toledo's library facilities rank among the best in 
the country. 



TOLEDO PRODUCE EXCHANGE.— Toledo 
from its earliest days has been a leading grain cen- 
ter. The first grain dealers' organization was form- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 115 

ed in 1849. June 7, 1849 commission men, forward- 
ers and produce dealers met at the steam elevators 
of Brownlee, Pendleton & Co., located on Water 
Street. Mathew Brown Jr. was chairman and Ed- 
ward B. Brown Secretary. The meeting resulted in 
establishing a Board of Trade with a membership 
seat price of two dollars. Dennison B. Smith who 
became identified with the grain trade here in 1841 
was elected the first president and the board arrang- 
ed to receive telegraph reports of Buffalo and New 
York markets each day at 12 o'clock. On April 23, 
1851 at another meeting of commission men, for- 
warders and dealers a board was organized with 
Mathew Brown Jr. President, but this project lasted 
less than a year. A still stronger organization known 
as the Board of Trade was formed in 1861 with Tru- 
man H. Hoag President. The board continued in 
operation until 1876, when it was deemed advisable 
to establish a more efficient organization and then 
it was that the present Produce Exchange was form- 
ed. The first President was Henry D. Walbridge 
with C. T. Wales secretary. Dennison B. Smith was 
chosen secretary Sept. 8, 1877, and held that posi- 
tion until his death June 22, 1901. Archie Gassaway 
who had been connected with the exchange first as 
a clerk since 1879 was then chosen Secretary and 
still holds that position. The old Produce Exchange 
building was built in 1878 and the organization oc- 
cupied quarters there from that date until 1915 when 
they moved into their present quarters in the Sec- 
ond National Bank building. Among the earliest 
elevators besides that of Brownlee, Pendleton Co., 
were those of Herman and Horace Walbridge, C. A. 



116 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

King & Co. (firm established in 1846) and the Grif- 
feth elevators. 



TOLEDO BANKS. 
Mention is made in preceding pages of this work 
of the early stages of the banking interests of To- 
ledo. It is, however, deemed proper to give a list 
of the prominent banking institutions, the date of 
their organization and prominent officials together 
wth something of their early history. 



THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK.— Which is re- 
ferred to elsewhere in this work, was organized in 
September, 1863, and was the pioneer National Bank 
of Toledo. Valentine H. Ketcham was its president 
until his death in 1887. John Berdan was the first 
cashier. Mars Nearing succeeded Mr. Ketcham as 
president in September, 1887, and served until his 
death in October, 1895. He was succeeded by Shel- 
don C. Reynolds who was elected president in Jan- 
uary, 1896 and who resigned July, 1897, and was 
chairman of the board of directors until his death 
November 22, 1912. S. C. Schenck succeeded Mr. 
Reynolds as president January, 1898, and upon his 
resignation was succeeded by Frederick J. Reynolds 
who was chosen January, 1910, and is now serving 
in that capacity. The first banking room were where 
the Waldorf hotel now stands on Summit street. In 
1869, a new building was put up on the present site 
which was replaced by the present new building in 
1905, and which was the first strictly bank building 
erected in Toledo. J. M. Spencer was elected cash- 
ier March 5, 1878, and entered the service of the in- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 117 

stitution in November, 1868. The present officers 
are: Frederick J. Reynolds, President; Rathbun 
Fuller, Vice-President; John Willys, Vice-President; 
Harold S. Reynolds, Vice-President; Joseph M. 
Spencer, Vice-President and Cashier; James G. Bur- 
nap, Assistant Cashier; Stacey L. McNary, Assistant 
Cashier; Karl Kniesser, Assistant Cashier. 



THE SECOND NATIONAL BANK.— Was or- 
ganized on January 18, 1864 when Toledo had a pop- 
ulation of 20,000 and George W. Davis was its presi- 
dent and Nehemiah Waterman its first cashier and 
John Cummings was inspector of electiores at that 
meeting and Frederick B. Dodge the first notary 
public for the bank, which opened for business May 
2, 1864. The first quarters of the bank were on the 
site now occupied by the Alhambra Theater, Sum- 
mit Street, but it soon moved to the King Block, 
Southwest corner of Summit and Madison. In 1870 
it located in the old Chamber of Commerce building 
and after 'that building burned located between 
Summit and St. Clair on Madison Avenue. On 
Dec. 7, 1864, the Second took over the Marine Bank 
which was first established by E. Parmelee in 1860. 
George W. Davis was president of the Second until 
his death June 2, 1904. C. F. Adams entered the 
bank as teller in August, 1865, was cashier from 
January 14, 1873, which position he held for 32 years. 
He was elected president June 7, 1904, and retired in 
1907. May 1, 1907, the institution consolidated with 
The Merchants National Bank and now occupies 
fine quarters in its new 22 story building, corner 



118 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Madison Avenue and Summit Street, the present 
officers are: M. W. Young, President, W. C. Carr, 
Vice-President, F. A. Chapin, Vice-President, J. T. 
Rohr, Vive-President, C. W. Cole, Cashier, L. S. 
Ketcham, Assistant Cashier, C. A. Baldwin, Assist- 
ant Cashier, H. E. Gail, Assistant Cashier, E. J. Bur- 
man, Assistant Cashier, G. L. Irons, Auditor. Mr. 
Young has been president since January 14, 1908. 
Mr. Carr entered the bank as messenger in 1892, was 
chosen cashier June 7, 1904, which position he held 
until elected vice-president. 



THE NORTHERN NATIONAL BANK.— The 
Northern National Bank of Toledo was organized 
November 30, 1864. Matthew Shoemaker was the 
first president of the institution, and John T. New- 
ton its first cashier. The bank first opened for busi- 
ness on Summit street near Jefferson, and when the 
Produce Exchange building was built in 1878, they 
took up quarters there until their fine new building 
was erected at the corner of Madison Avenue and 
Superior streets, which they occupied May, 1916. I. 
E. Knisely was chosen president of the bank in Jan- 
uary, 1892, and has since held that position. A. F. 
Mitchell became identified with the institution in 
June, 1887, as a clerk, was chosen cashier in January, 
1901, vice-president in 1914, and at the latter date 
Mr. H. M. Bash took the position of cashier. Mr. 
Bash has been identified with the bank since 1890. 

The present officials are: I. E. Knisely, Presi- 
dent; J. K. Secor, Vice-President; H. C. Truesdall, 
Vice-President; A. F. Mitchell, Vice-President; H. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 119 

M. Bash, Cashier; A. G. Moore, Assistant Cashier; 
W. K. Corson, Assistant Cashier. 



THE TOLEDO SAVINGS BANK & TRUST 
CO. — This institution, the first savings bank in To- 
ledo, was incorporated May 8, 1868 by James C. Hall, 
H. S. Walbridge, Richard Mott, John J. Barker, Val- 
entine Braun, Albert E. Macomber. Its first officers 
were Richard Mott, President; Albert E. Macomber, 
Secretary & Treasurer. It opened for business in the 
Fort Industry Block corner Monroe & Summit 
Streets. In 1906 the bank moved to its present lo- 
cation corner of Jefferson and Summit Streets. The 
present officers are C. L. Reynolds, President; 
Charles A. Russell, Vice-President; Donald L. Rey- 
nolds, Vice-President; Frank H. Greene, Cashier; 
A. Giesel, Assistant Cashier. There has always been 
a matter of historical interest attached to this in- 
stitution from the fact that its first location was so 
near to the site of old Fort Industry. The first de- 
positor when the bank was opened over fifty years 
ago is still a depositor there. 



THE MERCHANTS AND CLERKS SAVINGS 
BANK COMPANY.— Organized by Oliver S. Bond, 
had its inception February 10th, 1871. In a rear 
room of The Northern National Bank, located at 99 
Summit Street, this bank had its first office with the 
following list of officers : Mathew Shoemaker, Presi- 
dent; C. L. Luce, Vice-President; OHver S. Bond, 
Secretary and Treasurer. Toledo at that time was 
a growing little city with a population of about 30,- 
000. The bank outgrew their small quarters and 



120 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

finally moved to a building of their own at 78 Sum- 
mit Street. The present location 338 Summit Street 
was remodeled February, 1911, and at that time was 
the only building owned and occupied exclusively 
for banking purposes by any Savings Bank in To- 
ledo. Oliver S. Bond, who had been Treasurer and 
Secretary since the bank's foundation, was in 1888 
elected president and continues in that office at the 
present time. He has the distinction of having act- 
ed as an executive officer for a longer period than 
any other bank official in Toledo. E. Louis Schom- 
berg entered the service of the bank October 1, 1872, 
as messenger and has worked his way up through the 
different positions until 1903 he was elected to the 
office of Vice-President, which office he still occu- 
pies. Following are the present officers: Oliver S. 
Bond, President; E. Louis Schomburg, Vice-Presi- 
dent; Will H. Gunkel, Cashier; James C. Scott, Asst. 
Cashier. 



UNION SAVINGS BANK.— This bank was or- 
ganized in 1888, and held its first meeting of direc- 
tors May 5, of that year in the office of the Toledo 
Blade, corner of Jefferson Avenue and Superior 
Street. The officers elected were James Secor, 
President; William H. Maher, Vice-President, and 
Leander Burdick, Cashier. The bank opened for 
business on the 18th of June, 1888, and has continued 
in this location on Summit street ever since organiz- 
ed. The present officials are: Henry C. Truesdall, 
President; George L. Shanks, Vice-President; Christ- 
opher Doudt, Vice-President; Eugene P. Mettler, 
Cashier; Joseph T. Dempsey, Assistant Cashier. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 121 

THE NATIONAL BANK OF COMMERCE.— 
The Ketcham National Bank was organized June 1, 
1888, with John B. Ketcham, President; John Ber- 
dan, Vice-President; W. 0. Parker, Vice-President; 
S. H. Warring, Cashier; E. D. Rose, Assistant Cash- 
ier. On January 1, 1890, E. L. Barber was chosen 
vice-president in place of John Berdan. October 
4, 1892, S. D. Carr was elected second vice-president 
and then first vice-president January 1, 1893, with 
E. L. Barber second vice-president. March 6, 1894, 
J. B. Ketcham resigned as president, E. L. Barber 
taking that position and S. D. Carr retaining the 
first vice-presidency. Sept. 7, 1898, G. W. Walbridge 
was elected assistant cashier and in January, 1899, 
E. L. Barber resigned as president and S. D. Carr 
was chosen for that position. In February, 1899, the 
name of the bank was changed to The National 
Bank of Commerce and G. W. Walbridge, elected 
cashier. July 1, 1907 the bank absorbed or was con- 
solidated with The National Bank of Toledo, with 
S. D. Carr, President; W. W. Edwards, first Vice- 
President; R. B. Crane, second Vice-President; G. 
W. Walbridge, Cashier, and A. R. Truax Assistant 
Cashier. W. W. Edwards died in May, 1913, and was 
succeeded by E. C. Edwards in that position in July 
of that year with some other changes. The present 
officers are: S. D. Carr, President; R. B. Crane, first 
Vice-President; E. C. Edwards, second Vice-Presi- 
dent; G. W. Walbridge, third Vice-President; W. L. 
Lamb, Cashier; George L. Mills, Assistant Cashier, 
and A. J. Saelzler Assistant Cashier. The bank has 
always been located at the corner of Madison Ave- 
nue and St. Clair Streets and sometime ago purchas- 



122 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

ed the Drummond block and the St. Clair building 
north adjoining and have made over and enlarged 
their quarters from time to time as increased room 
and facilities were required. 



THE HOME SAVINGS BANK CO. GARDNER 
BUILDING. — This bank was incorporated Novem- 
ber 10, 1892; began business in Toledo December 3, 
1893, in the quarters which they now occupy. Its 
first officers were, Mr. Herbert Baker, President; 
Mr. C. F. Braun, Vice-President; Mr. D. V. R. Manley, 
Cashier. Its present officers are: Mr. Herbert Baker, 
President; Mr. W. A. Brigham, Vice-President; Mr. 
Marion M. Miller, Vice-President; Mr. R. D. Mills, 
Cashier; Mr. D. P. Clifford, Assistant Cashier; Mr. 
Carl H. Schwyn, Assistant Cashier, Mr. F. W. Linds- 
ley. Auditor. 



THE CITIZENS SAFE-DEPOSIT & TRUST 
Co. — ^Was organized in April, 1893, under the title of 
The Home Safe-Deposit & Trust Company. The 
incorporators were Charles F. Adams, Mars Nearing, 
M. I. Wilcox, S. D. Carr, and Horace Holcomb. About 
1908, the corporate name was changed to The Citi- 
zens Safe-Deposit & Trust Co. The place of business 
has always been in the Gardner Building, and the 
safe deposit vaults built when that building was 
erected. The present officers are: S. R. Dority, 
President; W. S. Walbridge, Secretary and Treasur- 
er. 



THE OHIO SAVINGS BANK AND TRUST 
COMPANY. — This institution was incorporated De- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 123 

cember 5, 1896. The original officers were David 
Robison, Jr., President, and George E. Pomeroy and 
Dennis Coghlin, Vice-President, and James J. Robi- 
son, Secretary and Treasurer. The bank opened for 
business in the Chamber of Commerce building cor- 
ner of Summit Street and Madison Avenue. Some 
time before the death of David Robison, Jr., in April, 
1906, he retired from the presidency and was chair- 
man of the board of directors, James J. Robison suc- 
ceeding to the presidency. On the death of James 
J. Robison in June, 1914, he was succeeded as presi- 
dent by William Hardee who in turn was suc- 
ceeded by George M. Jones. The Ohio Savings 
Bank and Trust Company took over The Dollar Sav- 
ings Bank and Trust Company June 15, 1910, also 
took over The Continental Trust and Savings Bank 
December 1st, 1918, and The Market Savings Bank 
December 15, 1918. The present officers of the in- 
stitution are: John Cummings, Chairman of the 
Board; George M. Jones, President; Howard L Shep- 
herd, first Vice-President; Edward Kirschner, vice- 
President and Secretary; Frank P. Kennison, Vice- 
President and Trust Officer; Seymour H. Hoff, 
Treasurer; Charles A. Frese, Assistant Treasurer; 
James F. Young, Assistant Treasurer; Albert A. Fair, 
Assistant Treasurer; Frank J. Klauser, Assistant Trust 
Officer; Ernest W. Davis, Comptroller; Roland J. 
Tappen, Manager Safe Deposit Department; C. E. 
Christen, Manager Foreign Department; E. E. Glea- 
son. Manager Credit Department. The bank took 
up its quarters in the Ohio building in 1906. 



124 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

THE SECURITY SAVINGS BANK AND 
TRUST COMPANY.— The Security Savings Bank 
and Trust Company, located at 315-317 Superior 
Street in Toledo, is the oldest Trust Company in 
Lucas County, having been organized as The Securi- 
ty Trust Company June 14, 1898. The Security 
Trust Company was located at 224 St. Clair Street, 
and after about six months removed to the corner 
of Madison Avenue and Huron Street in the Spitzer 
Building. In 1903 they again removed to the pres- 
ent location. Its first officers were: F. B. Shoe- 
maker, President; N. H. Swayne, Vice-President; 
John J. Barker, Vice-President; C. F. M. Niles, Sec- 
retary and Treasurer; H. W. Cummings, Assistant 
Secretary and Treasurer. Having been organized 
purely as a Trust Company, and not to engage in 
any way in the banking business, its officers, direc- 
tors, and stockholders were made up very largely of 
officials and stockholders of other banks. In fact, 
its first Board of Directors and Trust Committee in- 
cluded in its membership five bank presidents, four 
vice-presidents, and two bank cashiers. Two years 
later. The State Savings Bank Company was organ- 
ized, and had among its stockholders and directors 
many of the stockholders of The Security Trust 
Company. Later, The Security Trust Company to 
enlarge its operations and engage in the general 
banking business, in addition to carrying on its trust 
business, a merger was effected between it, and The 
State Savings Bank Company, and the two were con- 
solidated under the present name. The Security 
maintains a branch at 1518-1520 Cherry Street. It 
is in charge of Mr. Ladd H. Morse, Assistant Secre- 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 125 

tary-Assistant Treasurer, under the general direction 
of the same officers and directors as the main bank 
on Superior Street. Both the main office and branch 
have Safe Deposit Departments, while the Trust 
Department is maintained exclusively at the Super- 
ior Street office. The Security owns the bank build- 
ings in which both its main and branch banking 
rooms are located. The present officers are: Clif- 
ford C. Whitmore, President; Otis A. Browning, 
Vice-President; William J. Wedertz, second Vice- 
President and Treasurer; Frank C. Hoehler, third 
Vice-President; Lester B. Martin, Secretary and As- 
sistant Treasurer; Ladd H. Morse, Assistant Secre- 
tary and Treasurer; Archibald W. Stone, Assistant 
Secretary and Treasurer. 



THE COMMERCIAL SAVINGS BANK AND 
TRUST COMPANY.— The first officers were elected 
on February 20, 1899, the first President being Mr. 
Peter McCrory, the first Vice-President, Mr. A. M. 
Chesbrough, second Vice-President, Mr. J. K. Secor, 
and Cashier, Mr. Carey B. Close. The bank opened 
for business on Main Street, Toledo, East Side, on 
January 1, 1900, and was known as The Commercial 
Savings Bank. At the following election of officers 
held in January of 1900, Mr. M. B. Wolf was chosen 
President; Mr. David Harpster, Vice-President, and 
Mr. Carey B. Close, Cashier. The bank continued 
under that title until about the year of 1907 when 
it began operations under the title of The Commer- 
cial Savings Bank & Trust Co. A little before that 
date it opened its main banking room at 412 Adams 
street operating two offices. On July 1, 1915, or 



126 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

thereabouts, the bank opened its third office at 810 
West Central Avenue, near Detroit Avenue, under 
the management of Mr. E. S. White, with the title 
of Assistant Secretary-Treasurer. 

The present officials are: W. H. Yeasting, Pres- 
ident; Walter Stewart, Vice-President; Dallas P. Dil- 
dine, Vice-President; F. E. Stewart, Secretary and 
Treasurer; C. J. Eisenmann, Assistant Secretary and 
Treasurer; E. S. White, Assistant Secretary and 
Treasurer. 



THE DIME SAVINGS BANK COMPANY OF 
TOLEDO, OHIO.— Was incorporated July 19, 1900, 
and commenced business on November 1, 1900. At 
the organization. Homer Hood was elected Presi- 
dent, Elisha B. Southard, First Vice-President, John 
S. Hallaran, Second Vice-President and Aaron B. 
Hood, Cashier. The Executive Committee consist- 
ed of George E. Lorenz, William Watts, John S. Hal- 
laran, William H. H. Reeder, and Louis H. Rohr. 
The bank occupied a small space in the rear part of 
a large furniture store at 315 and 317 Superior Street 
until the spring of 1902, when they secured the cor- 
ner room at the Southwest corner of Adams and 
Superior Streets — the site of the old Masonic Temple 
that had been destroyed by fire. In 1907, the north- 
west corner of Adams and Superior was purchased 
as a site for the permanent home of the bank. The 
bank moved into their new home on June. 15, 1915. 
The present officers, W. H. H. Reeder, President; 
John S. Hallaran, Vice-President; R. V. Hodge, Vice- 
President and Cashier; Frank D. Butler, Assistant 
Cashier and Manager of their South side branch at 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 127 

the corner of Broadway and Western, and Oscar W. 
Salyer, Assistant Cashier and Manager of their branch 
at 1329 Dorr Street. William H. H. Reeder, has been 
President of the institution since early in 1901. 



THE PEOPLE'S STATE SAVINGS BANK.— 
Located at 924 Starr Avenue, opened for business in 
their own building there May 1, 1909, with W. H. 
Tucker, President; V. 0. Moore, Vice-President; W. 
J. Von Ewegen, Vice-President, and 0. D. Tiffany, 
Cashier who are the present officers of that thriving 
institution. 



THE SPITZER-RORICK TRUST & SAVINGS 
BANK. — This bank was organized and opened for 
business Nov. 1, 1911, with the following officials: 
C. M. Spitzer, President; A. L. Spitzer, Vice-Presi- 
dent; H. C. Rorick, Vice-President; Geo. A. Weber, 
Cashier; C. W. Cummings, Assistant Cashier; C. H. 
Vischer, Assistant Cashier. The present officials are: 
H. C. Rorick, President; A. L. Spitzer, Vice-Presi- 
dent; Carl B. Spitzer, Vice-President; James R. Eas- 
ton, Vice-President; A. V. Foster, Vice-President; 
Geo. A. Weber, Cashier; Carl Mathias, Assistant 
Cashier. This bank is incorporated under the bank- 
ing laws of the State of Ohio, is authorized to exer- 
cise the powers of a savings bank and administer 
trusts committed to its care and in addition to its 
savings department and the trust powers that it un- 
dertakes it does a general banking and exchanges 
business. The banking rooms are located in the 
Nicholas building. 



128 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

THE GUARDIAN TRUST AND 
BANK. — The Commerce Trust Company was or- 
ganized April 1, 1913, with the following list of offi- 
cers: S. D. Carr, President; W. W. Edwards, Vice- 
President; R. B. Crane, Vice-President; A. H. Peiter, 
Secretary and Treasurer; Richard W. Kirkley, Trust 
Officer. The company was re-organized under the 
name of "The Guardian Trust and Savings Bank of 
Toledo," under date of March 17, 1914. The pres- 
ent officers are: Edward H. Cady, President; Wal- 
ter L. Ross, Vice-President; Edward G. Kirby, Vice- 
President and Trust Officer; Harry P. Caves, Treas- 
urer; J. Brenton Taylor, Secretary; George E. Wise, 
Assistant Secretary and Treasurer. This bank joined 
the Federal Reserve System under date of January 
1, 1916, and was the first State Bank in Ohio to take 
this step. The Guardian Bank was one of the first 
banks in the city to enter the field of front window 
advertising, and their ideas have been adopted in 
nearly every city in the country; so that they readily 
claim that they were pioneers in this form of bank 
advertising. 

THE ROSSFORD SAVINGS BANK, ROSS- 
FORD, OHIO.— While this bank is located in Wood 
County, it is given here in the list of Toledo institu- 
tions, and was organized in June, 1918, and opened 
for business on July 1, 1918. The bank occupies a 
new building erected for the bank by the Edward 
Ford Plate Glass Co. The officers are: Edward 
Ford, President; H. S. Reynolds, first Vice-Presi- 
dent; Fred Uffman, second Vice-President; Earl B. 
Haas, Cashier. The bank is a Member of the Fed- 
eral Reserve Bank of Cleveland. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
TOLEDO DAILY NEWSPAPERS. 

THE TOLEDO BLADE.— The dominating 
figure who put the Toledo Blade on the map was 
D. R. Locke and the wide distribution of the Week- 
ly Blade through the appearance of the "Nasby Let- 
ters" was a great factor in making Toledo known 
during the later sixties. A detailed story of the var- 
ious changes and early history of this pubUcation 
would make a volume in itself. Here are some of 
the high spots. 

The Blade was started in 1836. Abel W. Fair- 
banks and L. L. Willard, were connected with the 
paper in 1837, the latter but a few months when Mr. 
Fairbanks became sole publisher, which honor he 
held about thirteen years. Andrew Palmer former- 
ly a Democrat, but an active supporter of Harrison 
for the presidency, was editor of the paper during 
that memorable campaign and made the forests 
echo with the slogan "Tippecanoe, and Tyler too." 
Then appear as editors, proprietors and publishers 
through the early struggles of the paper, the names 
of S. S. Blanchard, Edward A. Graves, Daniel Mc- 
Bain and down until 1844, when Jessup W. Scott, be- 
came editor, but stepped out of the job for some 
reason in less than a year. In May, 1846, appeared 
the tri-weekly Blade. H. L. Hosmer was a partner 
at this time and Mr. Fairbanks after being out and 
in at times evidently gathered enough wind or cash 
to take hold of the game again with a Dr. Graham, 
editor. The first issue of the daily Blade was April 
17, 1848. In January, 1850, Stephen T. and H. L. 



130 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Hosmer became owners with the latter as editor. 
Then came Peter E. Latimer, Samuel Andrews and 
Joseph R. Williams with their names spiked to the 
mast-head, when in September, 1856, the plant, 
newspaper, job and book-printing, was purchased 
by Clark Waggoner andi Guideon T. Stewart, of 
Norwalk, the latter a great champion of Prohibition 
and at one time a candidate for president on that 
ticket. Waggoner withdrew in 1865, and David 
Ross Locke came to the paper as editor, and A. D. 
Pelton sole proprietor in that year. In 1867, Mr. 
Locke and John Paul Jones became partners in the 
firm — A. D. Pelton & Co. Many further changes of 
minor importance followed with the names of Dr. 
A. P. Miller and T. P. Brown appearing with E. A. 
Higgins editor for a time. In August, 1876, The To- 
ledo Blade Company was organized with A. P. Mil- 
ler, President and Editor; T. P. Brown, Vice-Presi- 
dent; and Frank T. Lane, Secretary, which position 
Mr. Lane held until his death the fall of 1912. Dur- 
ing 1876 Mr. D. R. Locke obtained entire control of 
the company, and was its president with A. W. Glea- 
son, vice-president. For a short time the daily and 
weekly were published by Alexander Reed and Her- 
man D. Walbridge, but in 1878, the Blade company 
again assumed control of everything. Mr. Locke 
the dominant factor in placing the Blade in the 
ranks of newspapers of national importance was edi- 
tor and owned the controlling interest in the paper 
until his death when his son Robinson Locke took 
the chief editorship which place he still holds and 
is president of the company, with Florence E. 
Cottrell, vice-president and treasurer and who has 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 131 

been connected with the Blade for nearly 28 years. 
John McElroy of the National Tribune was manag- 
ing editor for a time followed by S. S. Knabenshue 
who came to the paper shortly before the death of 
D. R. Locke and who held that position until ap- 
pointed consul in 1907. Then came F. L. Dustman 
and Blacque Wilson and now Grove Patterson as 
managing editor of the daily, with Frank M. War- 
wick editor of the weekly since Knabenshue's time. 
The paper occupies its own building corner of Jef- 
ferson Avenue and Superior Street. 



THE TOLEDO NEWS-BEE.— This plant is one 
of the links in the chain known as the Scripp's news- 
papers. Negley D. Cochran is editor-in-chief and 
the paper occupies its own building corner of Huron 
Street and Jackson Avenue. The Toledo Evening 
Bee was started by H. S. Chapin in April, 1876, and 
was one of the pioneer low priced papers of the coun- 
try. The property was soon after transferred to The 
Toledo Bee Company which under the former name 
of The Toledo Printing & Publishing Company had 
been in the job printing business. H. S. Chapin was 
editor, and one of the proprietors until December, 
1883 when he disposed of his interest and was suc- 
ceeded as editor by John Paul Jones who was in turn 
succeeded by R. W. Harris and Elmer White. Mr. 
Chapin who had in 1884, with R. M. Brinkerhoff and 
others started The Toledo Evening Post, on the lat- 
ter papers being absorbed by the Bee in 1886, return- 
ed to the Bee as one of the editors and held a posi- 
tion there until he went with S. G. McCullough to 
Columbus, where he was editor of the Columbus 



132 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Post, a new daily they established there. Elmer 
White was editor and part owner of the Bee at this 
period with Frank P. Chapin the principal owner 
and business manager. It was under this regime 
that a new building was put up at 328 north St. 
Clair Street and the paper moved from their old 
quarters on St. Clair between Jefferson and Mon- 
roe Streets. After this management came Thomas 
W. Starr, and Archibald Stuart, when in 1897, Neg- 
ley D. Cochran purchased the paper from Wm. Beat- 
ty, receiver, an ill advised political move being one 
of the causes of the paper unpopularity. Then June 
1, 1903, the Bee, Sunday Bee, The News, (a daily 
started by J. M. Bloomer, J. P. Coats and others) 
and the Morning Times were bought by the Scripps- 
McRae organization and the papers became News- 
Bee, Sunday Times-Bee and Morning Daily Times, 
the latter two being a little later purchased by 
George Dun of Columbus. The News-Bee occupied 
their present new building October 12, 1912. Mr. 
Cochran has been editor of the paper all during the 
Scripp's control and Harry J. Howard was the first 
managing editor of the News-Bee and held that 
position until his death in 1917, and was succeeded 
by Frank M. Heller the present managing editor. 



THE TOLEDO TIMES COMPANY.— Was or- 
ganized in April, 1908, by Geo. W. Dun, who was its 
first president. The company took over the ma- 
chinery and equipment of the Toledo Press and the 
Associated Press franchise held in the morning field 
by the Scripps McRae league. In May, 1911, the 
Toledo Times Publishing Company was organized. 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 133 

purchasing the machinery, equipment, franchise and 
good will of the Toledo Times Company. The first 
officers were Geo. W. Dun, President, Clarence 
Brown, Vice-President; Charles N. O'Brien, Secre- 
tary and R. C. Patterson, Treasurer. In December, 
1914, Geo. W. Dun, president of the company died 
and Clarence Brown was elected president. Upon 
the occasion of his death in the summer of 1918, R. 
C. Patterson was elected president. The Toledo 
Times Publishing Company prints the Toledo Times, 
the only morning and Sunday paper in Toledo and 
Northwestern Ohio. Its office is at 234 Superior 
Street. The present officers are: R. C. Patterson, 
President & Treasurer; Clara C. Dun, Vice-President; 
John D. Dun, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. 



THE TOLEDO COMMERCE CLUB.— The 
present officers are: Charles Hartmann, President; 
Royal R. Scott, first Vice-President; John D. Cowell, 
second Vice-President; Warren E. Griffith, third 
Vice-President; Earl A. Hulce, Treasurer; Frank G. 
Saxton, Secretary. The merger of the Chamber of 
Commerce and the Business Men's Club into the 
Toledo Commerce Club was affected on May 9, 1911. 
The first officers were President, J. Gazzam MacKen- 
zie; first Vice-President E. H. Cady, second Vice- 
President, Geo. L. Shanks; third Vice-President, F. 
V. Culbertson; Treasurer, C. R. Clapp; Secretary, 
Louis H. Paine; Assistant Secretary, F. I. Lackens. 
The trustees of the Chamber of Commerce at the 
time of merger were: E. H. Cady, W. W. Knight, I. B. 
Hiett, C. R. Clapp, D. C. Donovan, E. L. Camp and 
G. S. Mills. Trustees of the Business Men's Club: 



134 A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 

Lyman Spitzer, W. F. Donovan, F. V. Culbertson, R. 
W. Kirkley, Geo. E. Hardee, Geo. L. Shanks and R. 
A. Beard. The presidents of The Toledo Commerce 
Club after Mr. McKenzie were: Isaac Kinsey, Frank 
L. Mulholland, William L. Diemer, William A. Gos- 
line Jr., Carl B. Spitzer, Irving E. Macomber and 
Gustavus Ohlinger. John D. Biggers, Geo. E. 
Hardy and Frank Saxton, followed Mr. Paine as 
Secretaries. The club's location is the sixteenth 
floor of the Nicholas building. The purpose of this 
organization is the advancement of the commercial, 
industrial and civic interests of Toledo and as con- 
tributing to that end, the establishment and promo- 
tion of friendly relations and co-operation among the 
citizens in this community. 

THE CALL OF EARLY TOLEDO.— In the 
spring of 1851, a young man filled with the vigor and 
spirit imbibed from the atmosphere of progress of 
these early days, then 27 years old, and just admitted 
to the practice of law at Portsmouth, Ohio, felt the 
call of the west. The map indicated the head of nav- 
igation in the wilderness of the wonderful Mississippi 
Valley as the future economic objective of a vast 
territory of great prospective wealth and he decid- 
ed upon Minneapolis as his permanent home where 
his ambition and enthusiasm could have full sway. 
He undertook to provide funds for the journey by 
taking some notes for collection on the line of his 
route and which led him up the Muskingum canal 
to Cleveland, from where he was to go to Adrian, 
Michigan. This took him by boat to Toledo and as 
he sailed up through Maumee bay into the river his 
astonished gaze measured the broad expanse of the 



A STORY OF EARLY TOLEDO 135 

wonderful harbor and his imagination saw therein 
the combined tonnage of London, Liverpool, New 
York, Boston and Baltimore. In the midst of his 
dream of the future a hand was laid on his shoulder 
and a stranger said, "Young man where are you go- 
ing?" When the latter's answer was given revealing 
his purpose and proposed destination the stranger 
swept the great expanse of bay and the miles upon 
miles of harbor line with a gesture and replied, "Can 
Minneapolis offer anything in prospect equal to 
this?" The young man was James M. Ashley and 
as there is a destiny which shapes our ends, the 
course of his life was changed and six years later 
(185S) he was elected to congress as an Abolitionist 
— or Black Republican. He served in the national 
house for the ten consecutive years following (the 
period of national reconstruction) a period of bitter 
agitation and domestic conflict. He framed the 
15th amendment to the constitution (abolition of 
slavery) introduced and guided its course to its final 
passage. His activity in the impeachment proceed- 
ings against President Johnson is well known and 
later he successfully undertook the construction of 
the Ann Arbor railroad, a line more than 300 miles 
long and involving an investment of more than $8,- 
000,000 in money with no other resources than intel- 
ligence, character and courage. This transportation 
system has proved its public usefulness and has 
added many millions of dollars value to the territory 
it serves. This is the story which made James M. 
Ashley a resident of Toledo instead of Minneapols. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Chapter One 

Page 

Early History of the Valley 11 

Missionaries Appear 12 

Peace Commissioners Duties.... 13 

Indians Taken Prisoners 14 

Wayne Addresses Indians 15 

Wayne's Reply to Campbell 17 

Captain William Wells 18 

Terms of Greenville Treaty 19 

Old Fort Industry 20 

Fort Meigs 20 

Harrison Issues Defi 21 

Col. Dudley's Defeat 21 

Retreat of Proctor 22 

Chapter Two 

Ordinance of 1787 24 

State Boundaries 24 

Disputed State Lines 25 

Ohio Governor Leads Militia 27 

Stickney's Surrender De- 
manded 28 

Chapter Three 

Lucas County Formed 29 

Congress Settles Boundary 

Question 29 

Navarre Finds Perry 30 

Indians Leave the Valley 30 

Chapter Four 

Early Years In Toledo. 32 

Early Land Interests 33 

The Twelve Miles Reserve 34 

Warehouse at Port Lawrence.... 35 

First White Child Born 36 

First Store Built 37 

Vistula 38 

A Grand Ball 89 



Chapter Five 

Page 

Toledo Named 40 

Territorial Jurisdictions 41 

Toledo the County Seat 42 

County Buildings Started 43 

Tremainsville 4S 

First Clergyman 44 

Early Families 44 

Nearest Post Office 44 

Chapter Six 

Manhattan 45 

Early Land Companies 46 

Orleans and Lucas County 48 

Land Purchases 49 

First City Directory 50^ 

Chapter Seven 

Early Topography 51 

Mud Creek and the Hog's Back 51 

Trinity Church 52 

First Congregational Church.... '53 

Toboggan Hill 54 

Early Building 55 

Early Poetical Effusions 56 

The Packet Dock 57 

Father Hannin 58 

Swan Creek Ferry 58 

Maumee River Ferry 58 

County Seat Removed 59 

Chapter Eight 

Early Railroads 60 

Early Eastern Railroads 63 

River, Lake and Canal Traffic. 65 

Early Steam Boats 66 

Railroad Competition 67 

The Grain Trade 69 

Revival of Lake Commerce 70 



Chapter Nine 

Page 

Early Banks 73 

Early Industries 74 

Early Hotels 75 

Early Business Buildings 77 

First Churches 79 

Chapter Ten 

First Schools 85 

Parochial Schools 88 

Public Library 88 

Amusement Halls 91 

Toledo Mayors 91 

Early Press 92 

Street Railways 93 

Post Routes 94 

Chapter Eleven 

Incidents 95 

Politics 95 

Wild Game 95 

Early Stores 96 

1846 the Banner Year 96 

City Expenses 96 

Absence of Biography 97 

The Professions 97 

Cemeteries 98 

Tax Rates 98 



Page 
Floods 99 

Changes In the Residence 

Section 99 

"Paving" Summit Street 101 

Bridges 101 

Military 102 

Chief Justice Waite 103 

Senator Ben Wade 103 

Early Visions 104 

Chapter Twelve 

Mound Builders About Toledo..l06 

First Court in Toledo 107 

Historian Lossings' Visit 109 

Turkey Foot Rock 110 

Chapter Thirteen 

Toledo University 113 

St. John's University 113 

Public Library 114 

Toledo Produce Exchange 114 

Toledo Banks of Today 116 

Chapter Fourteen 

Toledo Daily Newspapers 129 

The Toledo Commerce Club 133 

Story of James M. Ashley 134 



